Harry Potter and the Black Legacy
by InsanityRunsInMyBlood
Summary: Sirius is tired of being trapped as a known fugitive and Harry being pawned around, and decides to take the war into his own hands. Features shrewd Sirius and powerful allies (so to speak). Bear in mind I have an incredibly short attention span and memory and may have many plotholes in the story, so it is by no means perfect. Fifth year post-Christmas AU.
1. A Siriusly Reckless Plan

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

**Harry Potter and the Black Legacy**

**Chapter 1—A Siriusly Reckless Plan**

"To Harry Potter, without whom I would be not sitting here today." Arthur Weasley raised his glass of wine. "Harry."

"Harry." The rest of the Weasleys and Hermione murmured, raising their glasses in unison.

"Harry." Another voice came from behind where Harry was standing. He turned, and a smile worked its way onto Harry's worn face. Sirius Black raised his own glass of wine and winked at Harry before downing it in one gulp.

"Sirius." Harry said, taking large strides forward to hug his Godfather. Sirius chuckled and hugged Harry back.

"Missed me, kiddo?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's hair. The boy didn't even try to stop him, showing just how much he appreciated Sirius.

"Yeah." Harry said, stepping away.

"Come on, let's leave them alone for a bit." Sirius gestured. Hermione looked at Harry apologetically as Ron talked to her animatedly, hands flying around as he expressed himself freely. Harry gave her a tired grin and nodded, following Sirius out of the room. They walked down the rickety old stairs to a room with a large green tapestry sewn onto the walls. Sirius closed the door after they both walked in.

"This is the Black family tree." He said, looking around. "I used to be on there too." He pointed to a blackened spot. "My mother blasted me off when I ran away." He glanced at Harry. "Charming woman." He added.

"This is your house?" Harry asked in surprise. Sirius looked around again.

"Yes, I suppose it could be called my house. My mother wanted to disown me totally, but my father left me the place, not that I wanted it, though. I offered it to Dumbledore as Headquarters. About the only useful thing I've done to the Order." Sirius said. Harry walked around the tapestry, surprised to see the names Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy on the walls.

"You're related to Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy?" Harry asked. Sirius' expression morphed into something akin to pain and regret before he put a disgusted face on.

"Yes. My deranged cousin. Dear Bella." He said, although his words lacked the real venom that was supposed to be there. "And you've met Narcissa and her son Draco, surely." He asked.

"You mean that Malfoy git? Yeah." Harry nodded. "And I've seen Narcissa Malfoy at the Quidditch World Cup with Lucius Malfoy and Draco." Harry added.

"Yes, the Malfoy family. Snobbish lot, from what I can remember." Sirius cast a glance at Harry again. "But we're not here to talk about the Malfoys, are we? Tell me about your vision, Harry." Sirius coaxed gently. "Tell me, and I'll listen. I'll help." He said.

"I…Sirius…when I…when I was seeing the vision…I wasn't…seeing it as me, or a bystander, or even Mr. Weasley. I…I _was_ the snake." Harry said shakily. "This connection between me and Voldemort... what if the reason for it is that I am becoming more like him? I just feel so angry, all the time. What if after everything that I've been through, something's gone wrong inside me? What if I'm becoming bad?" He asked frustratedly, but at the same time scared of Sirius' reaction. Sirius sighed and knelt down, looking up at Harry, his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person, who…bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." Sirius said firmly, looking into Harry's confused green eyes.

"Thanks Sirius…" Harry looked down. Sirius gave him a reassuring smile and stood up. "I have a question, though." He asked.

"Anything, Harry, ask away." Sirius said.

"If we all have light and dark within us…then how was it possible for you to embrace the light? I mean…your cousins, they _are _your cousins, right?" Harry asked, looking at the family tree again.

"Yes." Sirius answered tersely.

"How come they couldn't…you know, act on the light side of them?" Harry asked. Sirius hesitated, then conjured up two chairs.

"Sit, Harry. I think this is going to take quite a while to get out." Sirius sighed. Harry sat down. Sirius lay back into his armchair.

"You must understand, Harry, that growing up in a pureblood family like mine wasn't by any way easy." Sirius said, eyes looking haunted by the past, gaunt, and broken, despite his healthier appearance and top-notch robes. "It was especially difficult as at the time, Voldemort was on the move, rising and taking over the Wizarding World slowly, bit by bit. I had a brother. His name was Regulus. Regulus Arcturus Black." Sirius said in a grief-stricken tone. Harry noticed the past tense and decided not to dig any further, as Regulus must be dead. "I also had, and still have, three cousins." Sirius continued. At Harry's surprised expression, he elaborated. "Yes, three cousins. See the other blackened patch there?" Sirius pointed at a spot between Bellatrix and Narcissa. "That was Andromeda, the middle child of my aunt and uncle. She was disowned for marrying a Muggleborn, Ted Tonks." Sirius grinned faintly.

"Tonks! As in…well, Tonks?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes, dear Nymphadora." Sirius said. "She's Andromeda's daughter with Ted Tonks. That goes back to your question about light and darkness within us. She chose to act upon the light within her, thus getting herself disowned, although she was in Slytherin. I suspect she must have begged or threatened the Hat not to put her in another house. She would have done well in Ravenclaw, too, with the amount of books she read." Sirius reminisced. "Anyway, she was the odd one out of the three, just as I was the more rebellious one of the two of us." Naturally Sirius meant him and Regulus. "There's the youngest of my cousins, Narcissa Black, now Malfoy." He said. "She was always the prim one, the lady, obeying the rules, a miniature version of my _perfect_ aunt. However, she had her moments." Sirius said. "Needless to say I didn't like her all that much, not as much as I liked Bella, really." He said.

"Sorry, but what? Bellatrix was your favourite cousin?" Harry asked incredulously. "From what I've heard and seen, she's…well, insane and not a pretty sight after Azkaban." Harry said.

"I know, Harry, but she wasn't always like this." Sirius said, eyes faraway again. "She was my favourite cousin, I don't deny it. She was fun, and loved rule-breaking just like me. We used to execute our pranks together. She was a bright young girl. We usually flew outside or played together outside. We did almost everything together. She loved adventures and we shared our deepest secrets." He looked at Harry. "I know it's unbelievable, but I know her better than anyone else, Harry." Sirius looked into Harry's eyes again, and Harry could see the sincerity and pain in them. Harry nodded.

"I believe you." He said. Sirius relaxed and smiled.

"Thank you." He said softly. There was a pause where Harry opened his mouth, then closed it. Sirius saw this.

"I suppose you're wondering when she changed, when we grew apart, and how come she didn't get sorted into Gryffindor with a personality like hers?" Sirius asked with a small, sad smile.

"Yeah." Harry said, wondering how Sirius knew what he was thinking.

"Your expressions are quite obvious." Sirius chuckled. Harry scowled.

"And I'm supposed to be learning Occlumency…" He grumbled.

"Oh, don't worry. Snape's just being a slimy git." Sirius waved his hand airily. "There are Occlumency books in the library. Only I can access it, or anyone with Black blood, or the Black heir, whether by blood or not." Sirius smiled. "So you can enter, because I've named you as my Heir in my will." Sirius said.

"Sirius, you're not going to die anytime soon." Harry said in a determined voice. Sirius' smile turned sad.

"We never know, Harry. We never know. One day you may be talking to him, getting angry at him, and the next day you hear that he's dead." Sirius said, and Harry could tell that he was no longer directly talking to Harry. "Now back to your question." He said briskly, snapping out of his semi-trance, and Harry swore he could see tears in Sirius' grey eyes before they vanished. "Bellatrix could have been in Gryffindor, I know. She did take a rather extraordinarily long time to Sort, like me. We were both Hatstalls, which means we took more than five minutes to get Sorted." Sirius explained.

"I did, too." Harry said.

"Then you're a Hatstall, congrats!" Sirius grinned, then it faded as he started talking again. "Bella confided in me that she pleaded with the Hat to put her in Slytherin…"

Harry was struck by the irony of the situation. He had done the same thing to the hat, but pleading to be in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.

"…uncle Cygnus would beat her up and none of us could have done anything about that." Sirius said in a grim tone. Harry deduced that Sirius meant that if Bellatrix had been sorted into Gryffindor, then her father Cygnus Black would have beaten her. Right. Harry blinked.

"What about you, then? Weren't you…beaten?" Harry asked tentatively.

"My father was a bit more lenient, I guess. He was detached most of the times." Sirius shrugged. "I was luckier, but Bella was not. Ever since her sorting into the Slytherin house, she's been slipping away from me, and into the abyss of dark magic. Finally she began to hang out with Lucius Malfoy, Rodolphus Lestrange, and the lot now known as Death Eaters." He said. "That's when I lost her, but the time when I truly lost her was after her wedding. She just stopped being Bella, and started being Bellatrix Lestrange. The next time I saw her was in Azkaban." Sirius said hoarsely, and this time he didn't hide his tears.

"It was an arranged marriage, I take it?" Harry asked, having heard the statement somewhere.

"Yes. Pureblood politics of linking families together and such." Sirius said bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Harry was at loss of words.

"Don't be. It's nobody's fault except for Voldemort." Sirius said, lips twitching up grimly.

"That's true. I'm still sorry." Harry said with a soft smile. "Tell me about your other relatives?" He asked tentatively. Sirius looked at the tapestry.

"Let's start with my brother." He muttered. "Regulus had always been a meek kid, I guess, so it wasn't really a surprise when he joined Voldemort. Mother and Father probably put a lot of pressure on him. We were sort of like polar opposites, coming from the same womb, so it was quite surprising when I got into Gryffindor. Obviously he was Slytherin. He played Seeker for their team while I did Beater for the Gryffindors. He was friends with Snape." Sirius made a face. "Always doing the thing that I don't." He chuckled. "Delving into the Dark Arts, entering into a respectable marriage, being a prude…" He laughed this time, and Harry grinned.

"All this changed, I guess, when I ran away." Sirius looked guilty. "He got too much expectation on his shoulders, I guess, and he just went with the flow. I expect Bella helped him into joining the Death Eaters." Sirius said.

"What about Andromeda? Was she kind of like you as well? Running away?" Harry asked.

"Well, yeah. She was older than me, so you could say I ran away like her, and not the other way around." Sirius said. "She despised Ted Tonks, actually, from what I learnt. For the first five years of them being in Hogwarts Andie hexed his balls off everytime she saw him. Ted was infatuated with her, but scared of her name and reputation and of course, the over-protective Bella."

Harry could see Sirius' eyes mist over. He didn't think that Sirius realized he was smiling.

"Something changed, though, in their sixth year. It might have been Bella graduating…or me going to Hogwarts, but she and Ted started going out secretly, and she told me. I kept her secret until she ran away at eighteen, already pregnant." Sirius laughed. "Hard to imagine the Slytherin swot and prude pregnant before anyone else, really."

"Kinda like Hermione, though I'd have a heart attack if she got pregnant." Harry smirked.

"She's better off than Andie." Sirius smirked back. "When the family found out they threatened to drag her back and torture Ted, but she stood defiant. I still don't know how they found out about me knowing, but they did, and my crazy batty _dear_ mum beat the hell outta me." Sirius frowned.

"At age…thirteen?" Harry asked.

"You did amazing things back then, Harry. You shouldn't really be talking." Sirius chuckled. "But yes, when I was thirteen. That's when the hatred really settled in, I guess. Now about Narcissa. They were anxious to secure a good and respectable marriage for Narcissa after Andie's scandal, so they married Cissy to Malfoy at the summer after her sixth year. By that time Bella was actually still single and the most eligible girl in the whole of wizarding Britain, at twenty. My aunt and uncle knew that she was fiery and untameable, and arranged a marriage between her and the big bloke—Rodolphus Lestrange. Decent enough, I thought at first. However, that year was when I truly lost her. Never really had respect for Lestrange, and that destroyed whatever mild good feelings I had of him. I was turning fourteen, and back then I didn't know I would run away, but when I started hearing rumours about Voldemort truly rising, I packed and scrammed to your dad's house. I was sixteen. Your grandmother—Dorea Potter, was a relative. She was born as a Black. She…took care of me, mostly. Charlus Potter, your grandfather, was nice and all, but I don't think he trusted me, the heir—yes, I wasn't disowned totally—to the Black family." Sirius explained. "When I returned for my seventh year, everyone in Slytherin…well, Bella, Cissa, Regulus…they changed. I know part of it was my fault, but honestly, I thought they wouldn't have changed _t__hat _much. Bella acted like she didn't know me at all, Cissy became the Ice Queen, and Regulus antagonized me." Sirius said sadly. Harry remained silent.

"Aside from that…well, in seventh year I changed to more carefree and I became an official womanizer." Sirius chuckled weakly. Harry could tell that he was still affected by his past. Usually Sirius would laugh in a more boisterous way at his own jokes and stuff. "I started to antagonize the Slytherins more as well. A sort of a war broke out _inside_ Hogwarts. When we graduated, the war was starting. We joined the Order, fresh out of Hogwarts, and I just knew Bella and Regulus joined the Death Eaters, and even though Cissy was just Lucius' trophy wife, she was the more cunning of the two." He sighed. "It was so hard fighting against family." He continued. Harry didn't know how it felt, having no family of his own. The Dursleys didn't really count, and he doesn't duel his own friends and family, of course.

"There were minor battles—skirmishes here and there. I fought against Bella most of the time. She was erratic, unpredictable. I was the only one skilled enough to counter her."

"What about Dumbledore and Mad-Eye?" Harry asked. Sirius looked at him.

"Well, you really haven't seen how good of a dueler Bella is." He said seriously. Harry was shocked.

"No way. Even Voldemort fears Dumbledore. How can he not manage to outduel her?" He asked curiously.

"The Black family…has many secrets." Sirius smiled mysteriously. Harry was intrigued.

"Like…?" He prompted.

"They wouldn't be secrets if I told you, would they, now?" Sirius said slyly. Harry swore that Sirius was a Slytherin soul with a Gryffindor heart.

"So…if we met her in battle…" Harry said slowly.

"Even Mad-Eye'd be hard-pressed." Sirius said, nodding at the implications behind Harry's words.

"But she's in Azkaban." Harry reassured himself.

"Not for long." Sirius said grimly. Harry jerked up in surprise.

"Why? How?"

"Do you really think Voldemort would leave his most fanatic servants stuck in Azkaban?" Sirius asked.

"No…" Harry whispered.

"Exactly. I suspect he's going to act soon." Sirius said.

"Then how are we going to…?" Harry said in panic.

"I have a reckless plan." Sirius whispered, leaning in. "It'll only require the breaking out of one person—Bellatrix."

"Why would you free her? She's a fanatic servant and totally devoted! She tortured Neville's parents into insanity!" Harry said in horror.

"As I said, secrets." Sirius tapped his nose. "I just need a bit of _luck_." He said.

"Luck?" Harry asked.

"That's right." Sirius smirked. "Have you ever heard of liquid luck?" He asked.

"No. What is it?" Harry asked eagerly. "It sounds brilliant!"

"It's more than brilliant. It's called Felix Felicis. It's a potion which is gold-coloured and extremely hard to brew. Brew it wrong and the results would be disastrous. It takes six months to brew. One gulp and you've got a whole day's worth of luck." Sirius said. "However, an overdose would cause giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence." He said.

"How do you know all this?" Harry asked in wonder.

"I didn't have Snape as a teacher." Sirius smirked again. Harry nodded, seeing his point.

"The man's brilliant but snarky as hell, though. Plus he hates me." Harry mused.

"Mm." Sirius said. "I have to agree."

"So…about the plan…" Harry said.

"About the plan." Sirius nodded. "In the secret Black family stash—"

"What does it have?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"Deadly potions, weapons, wands, eggs, ingredients, dark artefacts, and basically what's illegal and dangerous." Sirius said brightly.

"Wow. How come nobody else knows of it?" Harry asked.

"I can only divulge it to those of pure Black blood, and heirs. In this case you're my heir, hence me being able to tell you." Sirius said.

"That's handy." Harry said, amazed.

"It's the pureblood way of keeping secrets in the family." Sirius shrugged. Harry suddenly felt small. He didn't know many things about the Wizarding World and was rushing into it headfirst, trying to fight a war which had a madman leading the other side with bloodthirsty lunatics under his command. Said madman almost won the first time as well, against trained witches and wizards. What's to say this time he wouldn't be able to wipe out a bunch of teenagers and the old crowd?

"Harry?" Sirius asked. Harry blinked.

"Sorry, just thinking." He apologized. "Go on? What about the plan?"

"As I said, we will take two vials of Felix Felicis with us, one on each of us, and we break into Azkaban. Pretty simple, eh?" Sirius asked. Harry paled.

"You want us to break into Azkaban and get out without being arrested?" Harry gaped.

"Yep!" Sirius said, smiling. "How's that?"

"That's STUPID!" Harry stood up angrily. "Sirius, you can't go around throwing your life away like that!"

"Says the one who's going _with _me." Sirius pushed Harry back into his chair. "Listen, Felix Felicis is a very powerful potion, Harry. If you ingest it, you will feel as if nothing will go wrong—and nothing _will_ go wrong while it's still in effect." Sirius reassured Harry.

"But…are you sure?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"Not exactly. First, I'll have to train you in Occlumency, Legilimency, swordsmanship, dueling, nonverbal and wandless magic, Black magic, telepathy, Animagus training, and advanced dark and light magic." Sirius said.

"What? Dark magic?" Harry practically screamed.

"Lower your voice, Harry!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing up privacy barriers. "And yes, dark magics. You don't need to use them, trust me. However, understanding them is vital for your survival against the dark side in a war." Sirius said.

"But…how are we going to have the time for it?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Secrets, secrets." Sirius winked. "But you'll have to swear to secrecy first. It's not that I don't trust you." He held his hands up quickly at Harry's hurt expression. "It's just that it's not safe to let this get out, agreed?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose not." Harry said reluctantly.

"So repeat after me—I, Harry James Potter, swear on my mind, body, heart, magic, and soul not to tell anyone else what Sirius Orion Black has told me in the past hour." Sirius said clearly.

"I, Harry James Potter, swear on my mind, body, heart, magic, and soul not to tell anyone else what Sirius Orion Black has told me in the past hour." Harry repeated.

"Good. Add a 'so mote it be' in the end." Sirius said.

"So mote it be." Harry repeated. A bright flash illuminated the room, and Harry felt a squeezing sensation that went away as fast as it had come.

"Alright, it's done." Sirius lowered the privacy wards. They stood up and Sirius banished the chairs.

"So what now?" Harry asked.

"Now, we wait." Sirius said. "Have a good night's rest, and tomorrow I'll show you the trunk." Sirius said, giving Harry a fatherly hug.

"The trunk?" Harry asked.

"The trunk." Sirius confirmed. "Tomorrow." He said sternly. As if on cue, Hermione peeked into the doorway.

"Harry, let's go upstairs." Hermione said. Sirius patted Harry on the back gently and let him go. As soon as the teenagers went up, he stepped out of the room and looked back. His eyes lingered over Bellatrix, Andromeda, Narcissa, and Regulus' places on the tapestry. Finally he closed the door.

"So it starts." He murmured.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, reviews please! Yeah, I know, starting this one when the other isn't finished yet, but this is just a taster. I want to see what you guys think about it first. Constructive criticism wanted but NO FLAMES!<strong>

**I know this plot's been done before, but I want to twist some other things together. If you see something very similar to other fanfics, it probably _is_ from the other fics. All credit goes to the other authors, though. It's just that so many things have already been used! So don't flame me...XP**


	2. Preparations and Musing

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

**Harry Potter and the Black Legacy**

**Chapter 2—Preparations and Musing**

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" A shrill voice screamed into Sirius' ear. He groaned and looked at the magic alarm clock. It was midnight. He groaned again and smashed the clock to the floor. Great, he now had to enchant another one. However, to ensure the smooth working of his ingenious plan, he must get up now and prepare everything. He had a protegé to train. Thank Merlin for privacy wards and paranoid fathers.

He rolled up and changed into his robes quickly, hurrying out of the room quietly. He slipped out of his room and tiptoed downstairs with the aid of a silencing charm. He made it all the way to the hidden basement without alerting anyone to his presence. He cast some privacy wards just in case and canceled the silencing charms he put on himself.

"Lumos Maxima!" He whispered, and a ball of blinding light erupted from the tip of his wand and hovered above the room. He scanned his surrounding quickly and went to a shelf, which was stocked with potions.

"Snape would kill for some of these potions and ingredients." Sirius chuckled darkly, reading some of the labels. His fingers ghosted across the shelves and rested on an ingredient.

"Dragon scales…an unusually gentle Antipodean Opaleye." He read the descriptions below. "Perfect." He opend the cork and levitated a scale out carefully, setting it on a brewing counter a few steps away. It glimmered in the harsh wandlight beautifully, shining all sorts of colours.

"Unicorn blood from a young virgin female…given willingly." Sirius said, carefully setting the bottle on the table. The silvery, thick blood shone with a mythical quality.

"Fairy wings…harvested from centuries-old fairies who willingly gave them…" Sirius uncorked the bottle and levitated a few delicate-looking clear wings out of the jar and set it next to the dragon scale.

"Peacock feathers…plucked from a vicious but beautiful female in the mating season…" Sirius smiled amusedly, taking a long feather and setting it onto the table gently.

"Standard ingredient…of course." Sirius took a generous pinch of the green herb-like grass and put it in a bowl.

"Mooncalf dung collected before the sun rises." Sirius scooped some silvery substance and put it in a nother bowl. "About the only dung that's not disgusting." He muttered, glancing at some of the other, more unsavoury things on the shelves.

"Acromantula…venom? Taken after death." Sirius set a flask on the table carefully. "The things I do for family." He said. "Ah, the irony of it." He smirked to himself.

"Griffin claw from a thousand-year-old Griffin." Sirius said, awed as he took a sharp claw from a jar and placed it on the table.

"Veela hair, provided by a young girl." Sirius said, eyeing the silvery locks warily and levitating them into another bowl.

"That should be it." He finally decided as he lit a cauldron and collected the tools. He ground up the Griffin claw and dissolved the particles in the Acromantula venom and added it to the cauldron. He proceeded to spout jets of water into the cauldron. He left it to simmer for five minutes while he plucked the peacock feathers carefully. After the five minutes were over he sprinkled some standard ingredient before quickly adding the peacock feathers. He stirred it 13 times anticlockwise and left it to simmer again.

Picking up the fairy wings, he ground them up in a mortar with a pestle and added it to some unicorn blood he poured out. There was a bright flash and a crystal clear syrup was made. Then he smashed the dragon scales with force and ground them up violently. He glanced at the clock, started, and quickly poured the syrup in. He stirred the mixture feverishly. Three clockwise stirs, five anticlockwise stirs, three clockwise stirs, five anticlockwise stirs…

The potion turned from a murky grey to a clear colour, and Sirius added the ground up dragon scales in quickly. The potion hissed and leapt, and Sirius drew back as it boiled, turning a light gold colour. He added the rest of the standard ingredient in and stirred clockwise, 29 stirs. The potion congealed and turned a forest green colour and it bubbled thickly. Sirius left it to bubble quietly and he mashed the Mooncalf dung up into silvery paste.

"Too much silver recently." Sirius grumbled as he poured the now-liquid dung into the cauldron, which was now frothing. It immediately stopped frothing, however, when the dung reacted with the potion. It stilled and fizzed, turning a violent red.

"Finally, some red." Sirius said. He let the potion stay on the fire for a minute longer and removed it, immediately throwing the veela hairs in. There was a hiss again, and the potion glowed before turning a hot pink.

"Ugh. I'll have to convince her to drink that." Sirius groaned. He put a stasis charm on it and put it back on the shelf. He dug around the stash of goods at the back of the room after cleaning up the potion brewing tools and found a dusty black trunk with silver designs and a golden lock. He blew the dust off the box and saw the extravagant 'B' engraved on the top.

"This is it." He muttered, and opened the trunk. A heavy groan filled the air as the hinges protested. Sirius muttered a lubrication charm, blushing a bit as he thought of why he learnt of it. He peeked into the trunk.

"Seven inner layers." He muttered, looking into the depths. "Perfect." He activated the seventh compartment, the control quarters, and jumped in.

He landed on his feet in a large circular room. The lights switched on with a whirring sound. He sat in the control chair and pressed a few buttons. The huge screen flashed to life. The Blacks knew that the Muggles were advancing quickly in terms of their own 'magic' and 'borrowed' their technology. Sirius also happaned to add a few things to it when he was younger. Now he was glad he did what he did.

Sirius pressed a button labeled 'time management' and the screen flashed brightly.

"Time command on." A cool female voice echoed in the room.

"Change the time from 1 hour to 1 hour ratio to 1 second in the real world to 1 hour in here." Sirius said clearly. There was a beep.

"Time management changed. 1 secind to 1 hour ratio. Confirm?" The voice said.

"Confirm." Sirius said firmly. The room flashed green.

"Time confirmed." The voice said. Sirius pressed a few buttons.

"Set the rooms." He spoke. There was a series of beeps.

"State the compartments and purposes." The cool voice said.

"Compartment 1, storage. Compartment 2, living quarters. Compartment 3, training quarters. Compartment 4, potion labs. Compartment 5, library. Compartment 6, access to Gringotts vaults." Sirius enunciated clearly.

"Compartment 1, storage. Compartment 2, living quarters. Compartment 3, training quarters. Compartment 4, potion labs. Compartment 5, library. Compartment 6, access to Gringotts vaults." The voice repeated. "Confirm?"

"Confirm." Sirius said. There was a flash of green again.

"Confirmed." The voice said coolly.

"Perfect." Sirius said. He clambered out of the seventh compartment and closed the trunk, satisfied.

"Good." He muttered. He extinguished the floating ball of light.

"Lumos." He said instead, and only his wand tip lit up weakly. He walked upstairs stealthily, casting a silencing charm on himself. He made his way upstairs, but was stopped by the portrait of his mother.

"Very interesting, Sirius." She remarked calmly for once. Sirius turned his head, cringing.

"What do you want?" He said reluctantly.

"I know what you were doing down there, Sirius." Walburga smirked. "Finally come to your senses?"

"Oh yeah? What was I doing down there?" Sirius challenged.

"Making potions, preparing the trunk." Walburga sighed. "Sirius, despite us disowning you, I know you still feel strongly about your inheritance, isn't that right?" She asked.

"I…" Sirius swallowed, looking like a deer caught in the spotlights.

"Am I right?" Walburga raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Yes you're right." Sirius sighed. "I…think if we help Harry defeat the Dark Lord…I made him the heir anyway." He said boldly. Walburga simply laughed.

"A good choice. I would rather him get the title of Lord than that Malfoy boy." Walburga said. "I cannot let Malfoy get the line, of course. At least the Potter boy is an orphan." She sniffed. Sirius decided not to comment.

"So…I'm planning something _really_ reckless." Siirus confessed. "I'm planning to break Bellatrix out, take Andromeda back, and divorce Narcissa, and then give them the de-aging potion, leaving some for myself, of course." Sirius said nervously.

"Smart." Walburga approved. Sirius looked at her incredulously.

"You approve?" Sirius asked, still shocked.

"I didn't say I approve. It _is_ a brilliant plan. However, many flaws and risks, Sirius." Walburga said, looking at him critically.

"Felix Felicis." Sirius smirked. Walburga looked at him, smirking back.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Sirius." She said.

"Well, I'm not a Gryffindor for nothing, mother." Sirius said cheekily.

"Well, go to sleep, boy. We can talk later." Walburga said. Before Sirius could reply, the curtains drew shut, and he closed his mouth, shaking his head. He made his way upstairs and slipped into his room again, warding it again as well. He glanced at the clock. 1 O'clock. Not bad…not bad at all. He put his wand under his pillow and lay down, wide awake.

"How am I supposed to bring Andie back?" He whispered to himself. "She hates her sisters." He sighed. Then a thought stuck his head.

"Nymphadora…" He murmured. "If I were to…no, Andie would kill me if I held her daughter hostage." He said. "Merlin I'm too tired to do this!" He groaned softly. "But damn it I have to! Okay, so I'm breaking Bella out, I'm divorcing Narcissa as head of the Black family, and Andie…frankly, I don't know." He said to himself. "Ugh." He moaned. "Not. Fair." He said. "Why do I always have to be the one who has to worry about these kind of things? Why can't Narcissa realise that she's wrong? Why can't Bella break herself out of Azkaban? Why can't Andie…"

Snores filled the room before his sentence could be finished.

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><p><strong>So...this chappie was shorter, but it was mostly preparations, as the title says. <strong>

**Again, press the button and leave a review. Please. I really want to know what you think of this!**


	3. Back to Black

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

**Harry Potter and the Black Legacy**

**Chapter 3—Back to Black**

"Honey, I'll be going out for a while!" Ted Tonks called to his wife, who was currently sitting in the living room, deep in thought.

"Okay honey!" She replied absently, fiddling with a ring. She heard the door close, and she looked down at the ring she was twisting on her slim finger.

The ring itself was silver with an onyx set in the middle with diamonds set around the onyx. Embedded inside the onyx stone was the Black family crest which glimmered proudly in the bright electric light of the Tonks' household. She sighed.

Andromeda thought back to the old times when everything was fine between her and her sisters. She looked at the ring again. Each one of them had a ring, all exactly identical to each other. She wondered sadly if they still wore theirs. Maybe they didn't…because they knew a blood traitor was wearing the same thing.

"What happened to us, Bella?" She murmured.

"_Bella!" Seven year-old Andromeda Black shrieked with laughter as her older sister tackled her and started to tickle her mercilessly. The black-haired girl grinned and tickled the fair-haired girl even harder. Andie curled up on the floor, shaking with bouts of giggles._

"_S-Stop!" Andie whimpered, tears leaking out of her eyes._

"_Never!" Bella declared, straddling her sister and poking her sides rapidly. Andie thrashed around, trying to get up fruitlessly._

"_Bella!" Andie squealed as Bella hit her most ticklish spots—the patches of soft skin right underneath her armpits. "Mercy! Mercy!" She laughed, arms flailing._

"_Nope!" Bella said, smirking._

"_I won't love you anymore!" Andie tried to threaten._

"_Yeah sure!" Bella jeered. "Sisters forever, remember?"_

"_P-Please!" Andie pleaded desperately, gasping for air. "For a sister, you're cruel!" Andie said, pouting slightly. Bella dug her fingers into Andie's sides again, and the poor girl shook with mirth._

"_Fine. Only if you say sorry for peeing in my bed." Bella wrinkled her nose disgustedly. Andie burst into laughter again, and Bella tickled her in response. Andie yelped._

"_Fine! Fine! Okay! I'm sorry for peeing deliberately in your bed, Bella!" Andie said. "Let me go now…please?" She gulped in precious oxygen. Bella's eyes narrowed._

"_You did it _deliberately_?" Bella asked in disbelief. The girl under her quailed under her burning gaze._

"_I'm sorry…I just wanted to prank you…" Andromeda said apologetically. Bella sighed and rolled off her younger sister._

"_Okay okay…just don't do it again." For a nine year-old, Bellatrix did the stern look pretty well. Andie nodded furiously._

"_I won't!" She promised. Bella grinned and helped her up. "Come on, let's get some ice cream! I'm sweating already." She said, jumping up. "Race you there!" She called, laughing. Andie struggled up._

"_Bella!" She cried. Bellatrix stopped mid-stride and turned around._

"_Yes Andie?" She asked resignedly._

"_Don't go without me." Andie said, making a puppy-dog face. Bella scowled. She could never resist that face!_

"_Oh alright." She stalked over and took Andie's hand. "Come on." She said. Andie smirked mischievously and whipped her hand away. In the second that Bella was distracted, she pounced on her. Bella shrieked in surprise and fell onto the carpet. The roles were reversed as Andie straddled her older sister, a truly frightening smirk on her young face._

"_Oh no." Bella realized her intentions and went pale._

"_You shouldn't have done it to _me_, sister dearest." Andie laughed before she attacked Bella._

"_AAAHHH! MERCY!" The screams of Bella rang around the manor, but Andie's evil laughs drowned her pleas of mercy out. She wouldn't stop until Bella begged her to stop, and the other girl rarely pleaded about anything. Ah, revenge was sweet._

Andromeda smiled to herself. Those were the good times. Times when Bella was still innocent and carefree, and still cared for her. She still loves her sister—no doubt about that…however, she felt that she had lost the young Bella Black forever to the darkness and Voldemort. It was an aching, anguished love, a love for a lost sister, a love for a best friend, for a person whom she confided to when she was younger, but she knew her Bella would never come back to her. Only Bellatrix Lestrange, lieutenant of Voldemort, wife to Rodolphus Lestrange, the infamous Death Eater, existed now.

"What wouldn't I do to get her back?" Andromeda asked to no one in particular, sighing. "What wouldn't I do for my Bella…" She said wistfully. She looked down at the ring again, and a laugh reached her ears, echoing in her brain.

"Cissy…" She muttered. Narcissa was another sister lost. Another sister who chose the dark.

"_Andie?" A whisper disturbed a drowy Andie. She looked at the door, where a small blond head was visible. Narcissa, her younger sister, peered at her with startlingly blue eyes. Andie smiled subconsciously. Cissy always looked like an angel._

"_Yeah?" Andie whispered back softly._

"_Can I come in?" Cissy asked hopefully._

"_Sure, Cissy." Andie said. The door widened and a small frame slipped in, shutting the door behind her. The blond climbed into Andromeda's bed quickly and hid under the covers._

"_Andie, there were monsters chasing me." Cissy said fearfully, huddling closer to Andie, who chuckled. Cissy looked at her with a hurt expression. "Andie, I'm serious!" _

_Andie chukcled at Cissy. Trust her to believe in monsters at the age of seven._

"_It's okay, Cissy. There aren't any monsters here. Mother and Father made sure of that. The house is safe." Andie reassured her._

"_But…I'm scared." Narcissa said, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Andie hugged her closer._

"_Shhh…it's okay, Cissy. I'm here. I'm here." Andie whispered. Now that Bella's gone to Hogwarts, the house was more silent, and Narcissa could only come to Andie for comfort. Cissy sniffed into Andie's nightgown._

"_Shh, Cissy, shh…you're safe here, you're safe." Andie stroked Cissy's back gently, lulling her into a sleepy state._

"_Can I sweep here tonight?" Cissy slurred, snuggling closer to Andie's warmth._

"_Of course you can, Cissy." Andie answered, but Cissy was already asleep. The older girl smiled and stroked Cissy's hair, humming an old lullaby before she, too, succumbed to the touch of Morpheus._

Andromeda reflected on the relationship between Narcissa and her. It wasn't as strong as Bella, partially because Andie did everything with Bella before Cissy came along. Also, the two of them looked uncannily like each other when they were little, so little Cissy was often singled out, being the youngest, and also blond with blue eyes, instead of dark hair and dark eyes.

Andromeda began to think back to when it all started to change. Even in Hogwarts, the three of them stayed close to each other. She frowned, reliving every memory in her head…then she reached a particular memory and started. That must have been it.

"_I'll see you, Bella! I have patrol!" Andromeda said hurriedly, eager to see Ted again. She was in her fifth year, a new Prefect. She had met the kind and handsome Ted Tonks from Hufflepuff, who was also a Prefect, and a sort of romance/friendship blossomed between them through their nightly patrols._

"_See you, _Andie_." Bella said unusually coolly and Andromeda scampered off, smiling to herself. _

_She met Ted in a small corridor on the seventh floor of the Hogwarts castle._

"_Ted." She breathed, hugging him._

"_Andie!" Ted exclaimed, hugging her back. "Gave them the slip again?" He asked. Andie smiled._

"_Yeah. They're completely in the dark about this." She smiled. "Let's go." She said, and they set off at a saunter, not really paying attention to their surroundings._

_Their hands linked, they traveled the empty corridors._

"_Andie?" Ted asked, breaking the comfortable silence._

"_Yes, Teddy?" Andie used her affectionate nickname for him. He blushed slightly._

"_Do you want to…go out with me?" He asked shyly._

"_Go out…as in be your girlfriend?" Andromeda prodded cautiously. Ted nodded nonchalantly._

"_Y-yeah." He stuttered, though, betraying his nervousness._

"_Of course I will!" Andromeda squealed. Ted smiled radiantly and leant down to brush her lips with his own. Andromeda's heart thudded in her chest loudly and he drew away after a few seconds._

"_I…I have to go." She blushed and set off straight for the dungeons._

"_Andie! Andromeda! Wait!" Ted shouted after her, abandoning all discreetness._

Andromeda winced. Bella or another Slytherin must have seen…or Bella wouldn't have reacted like that to her entrance after that night.

_Andromeda rushed into the cold dungeons, her breaths coming in short gasps, puffing into the air, materialising as a cloud of white mist. She leaned against the cool wall, taking in deep breaths. _

I can't believe he kissed me!_ She thought furiously. _Who gave him permission to?

But you've got to admit that it was good_, a sly voice in her head whispered. Andie blushed and touched her lips, thinking back to the kiss. He was so gentle but loving at the same time…_

Argh, get a grip, Andromeda Black! He's a Hufflepuff for goodness' sake, and you will not fall for a Mudblood who's in the house of the duffers! _She chided herself before marching into the common room, snapping the password irritably._

"_Had a good patrol?" Her sister asked, smirking in a knowing way. Andromeda paused, her heart still beating erratically._

_Bella was lounging on the couch lazily, twirling her wand, her eyes glittering dangerously. Her beautiful dark curls fell around her face wildly, adding to the effect._

"_Yes, why?" Andromeda composed herself quickly._

"_Nothing. Is it wrong for an older sister to worry about her younger sibling?" Bella asked. Her voice held a slight mocking tone in it._

"_No." Andie said. Bella couldn't possibly know…could she?_

No, she won't know, of course she won't. She couldn't know of it!_ Just the thought of her knowing gave Andromeda the chills, and she controlled them, forcing herself to stay calm._

"_Good. It's getting late. Go to sleep, Andromeda." Bellatrix said. Andromeda nodded distractedly, her brain still a panicked mess despite any outward appearances._

_She never noticed Bella's lips curl, nor the iciness in her eyes._

_It wasn't until Andromeda plopped into her bed that she realized that Bella had used her full name, and not her nickname. Realising that, Andromeda's blood ran cold. Before, it was _always _Andie. There was only one cause for it._

_Bellatrix knew about them._

How naïve she was, to think that Bella didn't know what was going on between her and Ted. Bella knew her too well, and she could never really hide secrets from the older girl. She should never have, anyway. Maybe Bella would have forgiven her if she had told? Maybe.

Then again, there was no use crying over split milk, like Ted always said.

She couldn't help but to think, though, if leaving her family behind had been worth it.

"Don't think like that, Andromeda." She said. "You love Ted and Dora." She said. What scared her was the hesitance in her voice. She _did_ love Ted and Dora…didn't she?

She pondered this for a bit. Loving Ted and Dora…she loved them, yes…but it was a different kind of love.

Loving Ted had always been a romantic love for her when she was young. It had seemed exciting and a rebellious thing to do back then, running off at the age of seventeen, fresh out of Hogwarts. She got pregnant with Dora only months later. Pregnant at seventeen…she didn't regret it, though. She had loved Ted back then. They both loved each other—both hopelessly enamoured and entraced by each other. _Still loved_, she thought firmly.

Loving Ted now was something almost…obligatory.

_No, don't even go there!_ Andromeda thought fiercely, but her inner sly voice convinced her otherwise.

_Loving Theodore Tonks is obligatory, and you know it. You just have to accept it. You're married to him, he expects you to be the same person he married when you were seventeen, and you know it. You also know that you're not the same person anymore. You fed him lies, and you know it._

_You also know he is not the same anymore. In the end, he's just a hypocrite. He expects you to be faithful and a good wife, but he isn't faithful to you, and you know it as well. Don't you smell the perfume on him? Come on, you know you never wear perfume. You know you never do anything physically nowadays. He is a man, and men will stay the same. He is seeking pleasure from others, perhaps lowly whores in Knockturn Alley. He certainly would be desperate enough. He would throw them a few Galleons from your vault, and then have his way with them. To think, he chooses them over you, a beautiful pureblood woman from one of the oldest, purest, and best lines. _

_He isn't a good husband either, Andromeda. You know everything, Andromeda, but you just have to accept it. Don't you see? Can't you see? When has he ever cared for Dora? When has he ever told stories to her when she was little? When had he ever bought anything for her out of his own free will? When has he ever tucked her in? When has he ever done anything, really, for his own flesh and blood? Do you remember how freaked he was when he found out that Dora was a Metamorphmagus? Do you? You do, and you know it. He hates abnormalities, and you realise this as well…don't you? _

_A good husband…aside from your daughter…when has he bought you jewellery after you turned twenty, after the freshness of all the drama was over? When has he kissed you good morning and night after Dora was born? When has he ever held you when you missed your sisters and family? You know that he isn't right for you, Andromeda. You know it, and you have to accept it._

"I know." Andromeda whispered to herself, staring at the carpet, which was a brilliant red. It hurt her eyes to look at it, so she closed them.

_Then let go. Go back, Andromeda._

"I can't." She warred with herself.

_Of course you can. Just think of all this you're leaving behind. You probably won't miss anything, while you still miss your sisters and family…don't you?_

"Of course I do." Andromeda murmured. "How can I not?"

_Then leave, Andromeda, leave._ The sly voice whispered. For a long time she had thought of it as the Black side of her, the Slytherin side—the cunning, ruthless, and more intelligent and calculating side of her. She tried to ignore it, but it was coming up too often now.

_That's right. Accept who you are, Andromeda. Accept that you're always a Black. Black by blood. Accept _what_ you are, Andromeda. You know, you always know, that it wasn't worth it giving your Bella, your Cissy, your Siri, and your Reggie up for a Hufflepuff. Take your daughter and leave, Andromeda. Leave for your own good. Look where this landed you, Andromeda. LOOK! Regulus is dead, Bellatrix in Azkaban, Sirius a wanted man, and Cissy an ice queen, colder than Lucius Malfoy himself! _

"OKAY!" Andromeda screamed. She buried her head in her hand. "I'll leave. I'll go back…I'll go!" She yelled, lurching up, eyes wild. "I'll go! I swear on my honour! I'll leave! I'll go find Sirius first thing tomorrow!" She vowed.

She collapsed onto the floor, chest heaving. She looked rather like Bellatrix at that moment.

"Back to Black." She whispered, looking back at her ring.

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><p><strong>So what did you think about the newest chappie? Looks like Sirius' problem is solved, isn't it? :D Well, press the button and leave your thoughts. I need more reviews to go on!<strong>


	4. Revelations

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

**Harry Potter and the Black Legacy**

**Chapter 4—Revelations**

Andromeda took a deep breath, looking at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. She wasn't officially _in_ the Order, but she was still keyed into Grimmauld Place. Besides, if Dumbledore didn't include her, she would go berserk on him, and that's something he did _not_ want.

"Where's the courage you pride yourself on having?" She muttered to herself as she stood behind a tree across the street. "You can do this, Andromeda." She took another deep breath. "Right." She breathed. With a few powerful strides she crossed the street and went straight up to the door. She gazed at the familiar knocker and raised a pale hand, grasped it firmly, and rapped it on the door. She nearly winced at the amount of noise it made, which echoed around the otherwise quiet street. Who knew brass and wood could make such a din when knocked together? It had always seemed pretty soft to her when she was a child—at least, not even comparable to the iron gates and lavish silver knobs that decorated them, back in Black manor.

The door swung open, revealing a small head with drooping ears, a large nose, and sunken eyes glaring at her.

"Mistress Andie. Please come in." Kreacher muttered resentfully. "Almost as bad as Master Sirius, running from the family and breaking poor Mistress Bella's heart." He continued in a low voice, oblivious to the fact that Andromeda could, in fact, hear everything he was saying. "Oh yes…Mistress Bella was very upset." He glared up at her again and shuffled another few steps. "Blood-traitors, marrying Mudblood filth…" He droned on continuously.

Andromeda sucked in a sharp breath. She really didn't need to know of Bella's reaction to her leaving all those years ago. It would just break her already-shaky resolve.

Right now she wasn't even sure if it was a rational decision to return here and talk to Sirius. It would risk running into Ted, and of course, Dora. She didn't want to think of her daughter's reaction to her leaving Ted. Dora was always blissfully unaware of the perpetual strain in their relationship. She didn't want Dora to feel betrayed by her actions.

"Kreacher, leave me." She commanded harshly. Kreacher glared at her resentfully again before trudging off, still muttering under his breath. Andromeda touched the wall, memories springing back as she felt the rough fabric. She ran her hand along it, following the gold lines into the tapestry room, where she stopped, looking at the grand drapery with loathing, yet a strange kind of nostalgia. Her eyes flitted over the faces of her parents, aunt and uncle, and landed on Regulus' face. The dates read that he was deceased.

"I'm sorry, Regulus." She whispered, moving forward mechanically. Her hand brushed his face gently. "Rest in peace, cousin." She said.

Her eyes moved to the burn mark next to Regulus' place on the family tree. Only a name remained—Sirius Black, and his date of birth. Her finger poked the singed material, and her breath caught in her throat. It was so similar…in fact, it was the same kind of burn, which came from the same wand—Walburga Black, the most obsessed member of the Black family at that time. Her gaze moved up and she saw the burn mark in between two faces which she deliberately ignored. Her hand touched the mark tentatively.

The black patch still felt warm. It still felt as if it was a new burn, and it reminded her of the past. It seems as if nothing has changed, but she knew that everything changed. Grimmauld Place seemed timeless.

She fingered the fabric softly, almost caressing it, although she begrudged her aunt for burning her off the tree. She remembered how proud she was when she saw her portrait next to her sisters' faces. She hesitated, and moved her eyes to her left. Bellatrix's haughty and sharp face stared back at her. She used to be so beautiful. Andromeda was scared to think what Azkaban did to her sister's mind, body, and soul. She was scarred enough as it is, with Black blood flowing inside her, pure as could be, but also inbred, causing illnesses such as mental instability. She felt that she was lucky to be…well, normal. At least, as normal as she can be, coming from the Black family.

Her eyes moved toward the right, looking past her own burn mark to look at Narcissa, the youngest. She was always pretty awed by Narcissa's appearance. She was fair, blond, and delicate and quite meek while both her and Bella were dark, with dark hair, and both strong and stubborn. Cissy was the perfect pureblood daughter, and now she's the prefect pureblood wife, hosting parties, being gracious, all that shit, really. Andromeda was never one for tea parties nor housework. She often thought Cissy as a mini-Druella. One Druella was enough, two…it would be unbearable. Then again, she bore through it safe and sound…mostly. To escape their prissiness, Andromeda and Bellatrix often went on 'adventures' in the house and out the garden, in the cellar and up the attic, through the secret passages, leaping from door to door, while Cissy sat in the drawing room, playing with her dolls and having a tea party, pouring tea for them and talking to them.

Thinking about it, Andromeda snorted. The door made a creaking noise and she realized that she wasn't the only one in the room.

"Mum?" A voice asked, surprised. Andromeda whirled around to see her daughter standing in the doorway. Her hair was its usual bubblegum pink and her eyes were a bright yellow. Andromeda winced.

"Your eyes." She said. Nymphadora grinned and changed them to a light blue colour, and Andromeda was struck by their similarities with Narcissa's eyes. She almost finished saying Cissy's name, but stopped herself at the last moment. "Ci…" She faked a coughing fit. "Can't believe you like pink hair." She muttered.

"I like pink." Dora pouted.

"Course you do." Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" She asked.

"What are you doing here, Mum?" Dora fired off. "You never have anything to do with the Order anyway."

"Can't I visit? Or is it too embarrassing for your mother to appear in the Order headquarters?" Andromeda asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"O-of course not!" Dora blushed. "Mum!" She pouted. "You know I never meant it that way! I'm just surprised to see you here, that's all."

_Don't I always know…_Andromeda thought. _The curse of knowledge was what I was born with._ She thought bitterly. Being a Seer was hard. Scratch that…being a _true_ Seer was bloody arduous. You spout prophecies and see the future whenever the ability decides to strike. It's bloody irritating. It's also one of the downsides of being born into the Black family, where the magic concentration was so high that 'abnormalities' begin to form, and being inbred doesn't help either. Even though Dora wasn't a pureblood, the half Black blood flowing inside of her ensured that the family gift, or curse, manifested itself. Dora was just one of the luckier people, to be born with the Metamorphmagus ability rather than say, the curse of a Seer. However, there was also one thing that everyone in the family agreed on, and it was the Black beauty. It was the best gift, and they attracted many admiring, if not lustful looks. On the other hand, it was a curse, for it drew attention—unwanted attention, and it incited jealousy and rage and hate, and all kinds of negative emotions that Andromeda would rather not think about. The worst cases may lead to murder, and she was well educated, enough to know that many of her ancestors were subject to violent and often unexplainable deaths. She shivered.

"Mum?" Dora asked. "Are you okay? You just spaced out a bit there." Dora said.

"Huh?" Andromeda said. "Of course I'm fine, Dora. Just thinking. What are _you_ doing here?" She asked her daughter. To her surprise, Dora blushed.

"Oh…um…Order business…" Dora shifted. Andromeda raised an eyebrow again. She could always tell when someone was lying, and her daughter was no exception to that rule. Besides, she's learnt to read her daughter's emotions long before Dora could form a coherent sentence. Added to her sudden changes in hair colour, eye colour, and others, Dora easily gave away her thoughts. Andromeda frowned internally. She would have to correct that. Dora could be read like an open book if she continued to be like this—something that is very dangerous to manipulative enemies.

"Order business…tell me, Dora. I'm quite interested. What has the war escalated to?" Andromeda asked, leaning against the tapestry. Dora fidgeted, another sign to prove that she was making up lies. Andromeda was slightly hurt that her own daughter would lie to her.

"Well…um…Mad-Eye has expressly forbidden us to talk about the plans and everything. Constant vigilance and all the stuff he spouts." Dora smiled nervously.

"Nymphadora…" Andromeda sighed. The younger girl gulped. It was never good when her mother used her full name. "Just tell me the truth. I don't want your lies. I'm not going to get mad at you—just tell me what's going on." She said sternly.

"Alright mum." Dora said in a small voice. "I…I'm here to see Remus." She confessed.

"Remus?" Andromeda asked in surprise. "As in Remus Lupin, Sirius' friend, the werewolf?" She asked. What could…ah. Of course.

"It doesn't matter that he's a werewolf, mother! Do you have something against werewolves?" Dora defended quickly, taking Andromeda's last comment the wrong way. Andromeda eyed her daughter.

"Of course not, Dora. I'm just asking." Andromeda said. It was a lie, though. She would also be lying if she said that she wasn't worried for her daughter. Self-pitying or not, self-conscious or not, good or not, Order member or not, Remus was still a werewolf, and Andromeda was worried about her daughter. She could see a potential romance blossoming here, but also possible, and probable danger in this situation.

"So…uh…can I go now, Mum? I have to get back to the Ministry." Dora said quickly.

"Mm-hm." Andromeda murmured absent-mindedly. Dora scampered out of the room, grateful that her mother didn't press any further. Andromeda looked at the tapestry. There was nothing branching off from her burn mark—but of course. It didn't show her marriage to Ted either. To the family, she was just something shameful, something that needs to be forgotten, a black smudge amongst dozens of others. She wasn't worth a place on the tapestry, nor was her daughter, and definitely not a werewolf. She smiled twistedly. Was it a good thing that she was blasted off, then? To save the shame of anyone having to see the names Ted Tonks and Remus Lupin on the tapestry of pureness?

"Toujours pur." She said, tracing the silver letters engraved on the wall. Always pure. She smiled wryly. How she mocked the words just by standing here.

If her daughter marries, or has an affair with Remus, it would either end up in heartbreak (which means a dead werewolf and a satisfied Andromeda, but a possibly catatonic Dora) or Andromeda being a grandmother (which means added danger to the parents, Andromeda, and the baby itself). No, this simply wouldn't do. Young people these days take sex as a pleasure-seeking device these days. Andromeda nearly snorted. They should see all the rituals they could perform with the simple act of having sex—there are even books written about those rituals.

Besides, having sex tends to bond two magical beings together. It's not just purely physical, and may lead to emotional attachment and other unwanted things, if, for example, it was just meant to be a one night stand. Complications, complications. Life isn't simple, despite what some people may think.

The main problem? His lycanthropy. Andromeda certainly wasn't a racist bitch like Bellatrix. She didn't have anything against werewolves in general (then again, she was brought up in the most prejudiced environment in the Wizarding World—it instilled fear and revulsion for the beasts ever since she was a child, no matter what she thought now). The crucial point here is that her daughter, her only daughter, her beloved Dora, was dating a werewolf. She knew that Remus was a very good person who feels ashamed of his condition, which he can't control, of course, but she also feels apprehensive about this. Werewolves changed every month, on the night of the full moon. Even with the Wolfsbane potion, they were still unstable. They retained a human mind, but they still had a wolf form, and are still capable of turning others or injuring them severely. She didn't want her daughter to be turned nor hurt, so she had every right to reject the relationship. Nevertheless she could see that Dora was smitten with the man, and she would be happy despite everything else that was wrong or out of place, and Andromeda wanted her daughter to be happy—at least, happier than her. She didn't want Dora to rush into things and regret it…like she does now. Marrying Ted might not have been the best decision in her life, but Dora was a blessing from above, and Andromeda would be damned if she let anything happen to her precious baby.

Of course, there's another problem: the age difference. Think about it. Remus is Sirius' friend, was in his year, and was a Marauder. He grew up in the sixties and seventies. Now if Remus was Sirius' friend, it means that he was in the same generation as Sirius, who also happened to be her cousin, making him the same generation as her. This would mean that Dora could potentially be dating a man twice her age, or something close to that.

Andromeda was a pretty open-minded woman, but this she would not readily accept until they both prove their love for each other.

She looked around again and sighed.

"Seems like I've forgotten the real purpose of my visit today." She said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her quietly. She hurried up the dark staircase and to Sirius' room. She knocked on the door smartly. When nobody answered, she pushed the door open, puzzled. Where else could Sirius be? She knew that her younger cousin liked his room the best, and she wholeheartedly agreed. The house was far too Slytherin and everything in it just screamed 'The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black!'.

She peeked into the room and frowned. It looked like it hadn't been slept in for years. A small grin made its way onto her face when she noticed the posters of the half-naked Muggle girls on the walls and the Gryffindor colours dominating the bedroom. It was just like Sirius to defy his parents openly. She strongly suspected that there were permanent sticking charms applied to the pictures, and when she tried to pry a poster off, her suspicions were confirmed.

"The best way to deal with Aunt Walburga's insanity." She said in approval.

"Or, the only way." A dry voice said from behind her. She whirled around, readying her wand. Sirius stood in the doorway, leaning casually against it.

"Paranoid much?" He grinned.

"Always." Andromeda informed him before tucking her wand away.

"I would have been disappointed with any other answer, cousin." Sirius smiled. "Now…care to inform me of the nature of this visit, Andromeda?"

Andromeda looked around Sirius' room.

"Why don't we take it somewhere more private?" She asked.

* * *

><p><strong>So...press the button and tell me what you thought of this chapter! This was the hardest for me to write yet, because I wanted Andromeda to come out as the canon character but also with a bit more of the Black family's bigotry inside her. Of course as the story progresses the characters would be really OOC.<strong>


	5. Harry's Thoughts

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

**Harry Potter and the Black Legacy**

**Chapter 5—Harry's Thoughts**

"Harry, are you…are you okay?" Hermione asked cautiously, looking at the black hair, green-eyed boy.

"Yeah Hermione. Why wouldn't I be?" Harry asked distractedly.

"Er…mate…its just that…it's vacation, and you have your nose buried in a book." Ron said uncertainly. "Are you _positive_ that you're feeling alright?" He pressed. Harry sighed, looking up tiredly.

"Yes, guys, I'm alright. Ron, I have decided that studies are more important now that the OWLs are coming up, and I don't want to suffer with Snape any more, after classes, so I'm reading up Occlumency. Is there a problem?" Harry asked. He was half-lying, though. He didn't give a damn about his exams. He had other things to worry about. Namely, Voldemort and his minions. However, the part about avoiding Snape was true. After that incident (where he looked into Snape's worst memory), he didn't want to have another lesson, even if Dumbledore insisted. Besides, Sirius had a fight with Snape, and Harry dreaded the upcoming lessons now. If Snape's hatred really ran that deep, then Harry would be having a rough year ahead of him, so he decided to look up Occlumency in the Black library, which Sirius recently gave him access to, but not without cautioning words.

"_I'll be down for dinner a bit later, guys!" Harry called from his trunk in the furthest corner._

"_Okay Harry, just make sure not to take too long." Hermione said kindly before leaving._

"_Yeah mate, or I won't leave you anything to eat." Ron joked. Harry chuckled._

"_Don't worry, I'll be there." He reassured them. _

"_Harry, you are my heir, and you need to learn everything you can, on your own, first." Sirius said. "I still have a few things to take care of before we can start on our training, so I'll open the family library to you." He said with a small smile. _

"_There's a library in the house?" Harry asked in disbelief. "I've wandered these halls and I've never stumbled across a room that looked big enough to house all the books required in a library!" Harry exclaimed._

_Sirius smirked mischievously. "It's another family secret, Harry. Keep this one safe from your friend Hermione, will you? If she gets her hands on it, when I die, my ancestors are going to resurrect me and kill me all over again." He laughed. Harry laughed with him. Hermione would, indeed, do that, for her love of books and literature. The Black library probably contains as many books as the Hogwarts library, having accumulated tome after tome over the years._

"_Okay, I won't tell her." Harry promised._

"_Good. Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Sirius said._

"Oh, you're reading up Occlumency?" Hermione asked with an approving smile. "But where did you get the book?" She asked, frowning slightly, her smile fading. "You didn't go anywhere…did you? Or did you get that from the Hogwarts library?" She fired off.

"Er…no." That was the truth…as for lies, Harry was coming up blank.

"Well? Where did you get that book?" She asked suspiciously. She stood up and walked over, snatching it from Harry's hands and examining it. "It's a normal book, isn't it?" She asked. Harry snatched it back.

"It's not like Riddle's diary, if that's what you're saying." He said rather coolly. Hermione blushed.

"Oi, mate. There's no need to be so snappy." Ron defended Hermione.

"Then will you leave me and let me read in peace?" Harry felt guilty in driving his friends away, but right now he _really_ needed some quiet time to focus on the basics of Occlumency. He didn't want Sirius to be disappointed with him. Heir or not, the man trusted him enough to spill the Black family secrets to him, and he wasn't about to give it away that fast—at least, not until they could be trusted implicitly. He didn't like lying to his friends about such a big secret, but he valued Sirius' trust in him. Until the man gave the orders to let his friends in the secret, he was going to keep his mouth shut.

"Alright Harry. Well…go get Snape and show him." Ron said.

"Have fun." Hermione smiled before the duo walked out, leaving Harry alone. Harry smiled softly after the door closed. Ah…peace. He almost forgot what that was like. Everything was very hectic now. He barely had any time to himself now.

"Well, let's get started." He muttered, flipping the book to the table of contents again. He didn't manage to get a single word in with Ron and Hermione in the room, which was quite sad, as it was an hour wasted. Time was essential now. He must do whatever is needed to stay alive and defeat Voldemort.

Pausing in his scanning, Harry contemplated himself and his character. He used to be innocent, if not hopelessly naïve, in his previous years. Certainly with Hogwarts came danger and adventure, and each more exciting than the last. In his first year he fought 'Quirrelmort', as he liked to call the combination of man and spirit now. It was a major chance for him to see the world and its dangers, but he didn't realise just how biased and scary the real world can be until his second year, when he was revealed as a Parselmouth, and the Hufflepuffs turned against him, fearing that he was commanding the Basilisk to kill and petrify. Also, the experience in Knockturn Alley was terrifying for him. He didn't ever want to go into that place—that is, unprepared.

When he fought the Basilisk, he experienced, for the second time he could remember (counting his first year when Quirrel, or rather, Voldemort, nearly got him killed) being almost dead. The pain of the Basilisk's venom had been excruciating. It not for Fawkes…well, he certainly wouldn't be here, would he?

As for his third year, it was even worse. By running away at the start of the term, Harry had to adapt and learn how to deal with those situations. Thank Merlin he met the Weasleys and Hermione in the Leaky Cauldron, and had some company, at least. Then he was exposed to a new danger—an escaped convict, from Azkaban, the supposed unescapable wizarding prison—apparently going after him to finish what Voldemort started that night in Godric's Hollow. He had to deal with a werewolf teacher, Dementors, Sirius' tale, and Pettigrew's escape in a single (in his opinion, too short) year. It was enough to force Harry to grow out of his childhood and stop being somewhat sheltered.

The worst, however, had been his fourth year. _It does get progressively worse, doesn't it? This year I had to deal with the visions,_ Harry thought grimly, _but it really all started in fourth year. I remember at the end of the summer I dreamt of the old Muggle man being murdered._

During the holidays the Quidditch World Cup had taken place, and the Dark Mark was spotted after a Death Eater parade. That didn't bode well for anybody, especially Harry. It marked the beginning of a second war. Why else would the Dark Mark have been shot up? To terrorize the public? No, Harry felt as if there was something more ominous going on, and indeed there was, as proved later on that year.

The Triwizard Tournament had taken place during Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts. Along with Victor Krum from Durmstrang, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, and Cedric Diggory from the Hufflepuff house in Hogwarts, Harry was elected, unwittingly and unwillingly, to compete in the tournament. Three times he came face to face with danger, and the last task almost finished him off for good. Who in their right mind would give enraged mother dragons protecting their eggs as a challenge? Who would give a screaming golden egg to the champions as a reward and make them race for the secret of it just to qualify for the second task, which consists of being underwater for an hour and having to fend off all kinds of creatures that may very well injure the champions badly? Do they even care that Harry was almost killed, and that Cedric _was_ actually killed in the third and final task? Apparently not.

Now only he, his closest friends, Dumbledore, and a few others like Snape, and also the Death Eaters, knew that Voldemort was back.

Now…presently, in the first half of his fifth year, Harry had already experienced harsh Occlumency lessons from Snape, which really, only served to tear down any natural Occlumency barriers Harry had before he was subjected to the lessons, which was a convenient way of saying torture. Harry wasn't about to pay for a crime that he didn't commit. Then he snorted. Of course Snape wouldn't know the difference between James Potter and Harry Potter to save his life. Everything else might have changed, but their mutual hatred hasn't.

Moving on from the failed attempts at Occlumency lessons, there was the actual vision that triggered the reaction. If Voldemort didn't know of Harry's 'handy' little ability to delve into his mind before, he probably did now. Nobody should have known the mission Nagini had to kill Arthur Weasley—not even Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. Yet somehow, Ron's father escaped alive, injured, but fortunately, at least for the Order, the Weasleys, and Harry, alive. Harry would have to be careful from now on. He needs to learn how to occlude his mind, fast.

He also realised that all the times he's come face to face with danger or Voldemort, pure blind luck had been on his side. That meant that one day his luck would run out, and then what was he supposed to do? No, he could not rely on his luck anymore. It was better to be prepared, and now was the time to do so.

Voldemort isn't stupid. Harry had to give him some credit. It wouldn't do for him to underestimate his enemy. Arrogance could be his downfall, and Harry didn't want it to end that way. The four and a half years spent antagonizing Draco Malfoy taught him well. All the times the blond jeered and sneered at him, Harry kept quiet while Ron retorted quickly and hot-headedly. Well, mostly. The point here was that Harry evaluated the blond quietly, taking in his flaws and even learning a few things from him. He learnt that Draco's biggest flaws were hubris and arrogance. Indeed, Harry was right, as the Malfoy heir believed that everyone was below him and didn't deserve his attention nor his time. He hated Muggleborns and Muggles, and frankly speaking, he was a bigoted, spoilt little bastard. He was also too prideful, and gets wounded quickly, causing him to spout insults and all kinds of colourful threats that so far, he has not acted upon. Even so, Harry felt like he should watch out for the Malfoy heir. He _could_ compare Draco to Voldemort, to say the truth. Draco is, essentially, a less racist, more spoiled, blond, and a bit less intelligent version of Voldemort. Oh the differences could go on, and Harry could write them all down, but narrowing it down, Draco was a mini-Voldemort. Harry just felt lucky that he wasn't that extreme and actually had parents to care and spoil him, even though it made Draco…well…an evil little blond ferret.

At this, Harry snorted. He had to give it to Barty Crouch Jr. as well. The man knew how to hex and transfigure. Taking a leaf from Ron's book, Harry would forever remember Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret. It was a priceless scene.

Back to the topic of Voldemort now. Harry wasn't sure where Sirius wanted to go with all his planning and secret rebellion, but it was better than staying in school and sitting classes, knowing, and worrying uselessly about the inevitable confrontation that will either save or destroy the world as he knew it. The talk with Sirius that day made the gears in Harry's head turn. He knew Sirius was up to something big, something that he was hiding from Harry, something that will rock the entire Wizarding World when it reveals itself. Wasn't breaking Bellatrix Lestrange, the infamous lieutenant and fanatic follower of Voldemort, out of Azkaban big enough? Then again, Sirius was a Gryffindor soul with a Slytherin mind, as Harry said before. Give a Gryffindor idea and add some Slytherin cunningness and you've got something great but shocking brewing, and this was exactly what was happening with Sirius and…well, whatever he was planning.

He just couldn't make the connection to Voldemort, though. He knew that Sirius meant well, but he still felt uneasy about this whole thing. Was it really such a good idea to rush into the plan and break into Azkaban, bust a prisoner out, and get out all unharmed? Was that even possible? Where was Sirius going with his plan, though? It was what frustrated Harry the most—not knowing. This year Dumbledore was also hiding things from him. Harry is slightly less irritated at Sirius because at least his godfather told him about his family and the upcoming 'jailbreak' (meaning that there were shenanigans behind it, the perpetrators being Sirius and his faithful accomplice, Harry). Now doesn't _that _sound grand?

"It _is _grand." Harry mumbled to himself. "Just completely reckless and disastrous should it go wrong." He muttered. Then he looked down at his book, looked around again, and looked down again.

"Did I just spend the hour reminiscing about past events when I was supposed to read on Occlumency?" Harry groaned. "Smooth going, Potter, _real_ smooth." He said. "And where did it get you with all that musing? Nowhere. Now focus on the reading." He said to himself. Argh, he was going insane now. Looking down to the table of contents, Harry skimmed through the list.

"Guess I'll start with theory first." He sighed.

_Occlumency is the art of concealing one's mind from unwanted intruders, who use the art of Legilimency, which will be introduced in the second half of the book. Occlumency comes in three forms. The most basic form is erecting shields in the mind. However, this form is easily broken through if the user does not have enough willpower, or if the opponent is brutal in their attack. A trained, strong Occlumens may use this as the outermost form of defense. However, this form of Occlumency may also contain images and conjurations of animals, which will attack the invader before he or she gets to the actual walls of defense. This is not recommended for beginners because of the complexity of it and the time taken to master a realistic animal form that roams the mind as a protector, and not an attacker. Essentially the animal needs to be tame, yet the user has to be the one to tame it. The user will have to be careful that the animal will not turn on him or her._

_The second form of Occlumency is to make a landscape in the mind that conceals memories behind whatever scenery is present in the image. Take Hogwarts as an example. If an Occlumens were to use the castle as a defense, then he or she must hide their memories cleverly in the castle. They might hide their deepest secrets in, say, the dungeons below the castle, where the Slytherin students reside. Or they may hide their innermost thoughts inside the Headmaster's office, stored, maybe, in one of the unobtrusive tomes on one of the bookshelves near the front (as to throw off attackers, who will most likely scour the back first)._

_The third form of Occlumency is the most difficult, because it is not like the previous two forms. This form contains lies that lure the intruder round and round in circles, trapping them in your mind. The way to accomplish this is to have a very good understanding of the second form of Occlumency, which is essentially having a good grasp on your memories and thoughts, and having an organised mind in which to hide those thoughts. However, this goes deeper because one little slip may grant the intruder access to the other parts of your mind. How? In this form of Occlumency, everything is connected, however distant. It is like a spider's web, like a maze, and it is very easy to get lost in it, whether if you're the intruder or the user, so the user has to have a very organised mind. Basically, the intruder sees memories that lead them in deeper and deeper to other memories, but all are insignificant recollections or rambles for thoughts. While this happens, the user may reinforce the other shields that guard their deepest secrets or the most important thoughts and also dangerous knowledge, or they may counterattack the opponent while they're busy in your mind, which leaves them vulnerable to an external attack (not related to mind arts)._

_Those were the three forms of Occlumency. To start learning them, the user must accomplish a task. They must meditate every night. Meditation helps the mind calm down from the day's excitement and it also helps organise your thoughts and feelings, knowledge, and also memories. Meditation is not required in large amounts. Half an hour a day before the user sleeps is sufficient. If the user thinks that more time will help him/her achieve their goals faster, then they may extend it to an hour. To start on meditation, turn to page 10._

Harry was spitting with rage. Snape had told him to prepare himself, and then invaded his mind viciously, leaving Harry no time to defend himself. He didn't even know how to! Also, by telling Harry to 'learn to occlude' his mind every night before he goes to sleep, the man hadn't told Harry _how _to occlude his mind either!

"What kind of a teacher is he?" Harry snarled. He was going to Dumbledore and stopping these lessons, and that was that.

"Wait…" He said, pausing, his brain heading in a very Slytherin direction. Revenge. What if he could master Occlumency within the space of the remaining holidays? Maybe Sirius could help him. Then when he gets back to school, he'll show Snape how it's done.

He shut his book with a snap and jumped up, smirking in a somewhat disturbing way. He had a plan…and when he had a plan…the results were never good for the parties involved. It either goes catastrophically wrong or it fails miserably…or both, ending in injuries, being knocked out for a week, unconsciousness, and potential health issues related to stressing bushy-haired friends or a red-headed matriarch of a family of redheads, though this time Harry was sure that his plan would work.

"Sirius!" He yelled gleefully. He was going to get his revenge, and when Harry Potter sets his mind on something, he is going to finish it no matter what the obstacles are.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I know that this is a lot of thoughts and stuff and no action or plot, but we're still getting to know the characters, who are going to be OOC, so we need to see how they develop into the characters they eventually become later on in the story.<strong>

**Well, review it and say what you thought! I'm not particularly pleased about this chapter, and please bear with me for the Occlumency book thing. I have no idea what it should be like, so I made up stuff XD.**


	6. War Plans

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

**Harry Potter and the Black Legacy**

**Chapter 6—War Plans**

"Where are we going, Sirius?" Andromeda asked curiously, looking around. She had never really come to this part of the house before. It was dark and gloomy, and very damp. She had always thought of it as a storage part that only House Elves visited. "I've never been here before." She said.

"Which is exactly the point." Sirius smiled into the darkness. "Lumos!"

"Wait, what? Why is that the point?" Andromeda asked, confused.

"You have never been to this part of the house because its designed so that you will not want to come here." Sirius said, stopping at a dead end.

"It's designed so that I would not want to come here? How…ah." Andromeda recognized the slight hum, which was a telltale (well, for those who recognised it) sign that there were wards around this place. "Repelling wards. Quaint."

"Well, the family _does_ date back to Merlin's time." Sirius said. He pressed his hand to the seemingly normal wall, and with a whirl, a sharp instrument emerged as part of the wall slid open. Andromeda's jaw dropped.

"S-Since when did we have hi-tech installed?" She stuttered a bit when asking.

"I dunno. Father showed me this place when I turned eleven. It must go back pretty far. It's infused with magic, anyway, to enhance the equipment and machinery. Muggles aren't _that _advanced yet." Sirius pricked his finger on the tip casually and it retracted. The wall slid back into place.

"Sirius Black, age 37, male." A droning voice said. "Second person detected."

The instrument appeared again.

"Do the same thing." Sirius instructed, and Andromeda gave her blood to the device, which returned to the wall.

"Andromeda Black, age 43, female." The monotonous voice rang out in the small corridor. "Enter."

The walls slid open like elevator doors, and the two of them continued down the corridor.

"Why did it list me as a Black?" Andromeda asked.

"You're Black by birth. It goes by your paternal bloodline's family name as recognition." Sirius said.

"Okay…so how did it know that we were two people?" Andromeda inquired.

"The corridor has heat sensors." Sirius smiled crookedly. He opened the door at the end of the hallway and stepped in. Andromeda followed. She was promptly rendered speechless by what was in front of her.

"Welcome to the Black Stash."

Shelves after shelves of potion ingredients glittered or bubbled, just sitting there in stasis. Solid gold cauldrons of all the different sizes were stacked up at the side, with a few pewter, silver, and copper cauldrons scattered here and there. A large variety of weapons were hung on the wall. Warglaives, curved daggers, katanas, boomerangs, knives, axes, spears, maces, war hammers, lances, longbows, crossbows, javelins…and there were also plates of armour made out of dragonhide, chainmails, large metal shields, and even a few helmets. On the opposite wall wands hung from their holsters. Andromeda was amazed by the sheer number of wands there. The lengths ranged from seven inches to fourteen inches, and the woods' colours varied throughout the collection. She had no doubt that some of the cores were as rare as Basilisk scales or Chimaera venom, and much more.

In the damp, far side of the room, she could see a faint outline of a huge glass case. She walked toward it and gasped when she saw eggs, no doubt held by stasis charms as well, lying in black velvet. Crimson shells speckled with gold in a pile in the corner indicated the presence of dragon eggs, at least, Chinese Fireball eggs. Another sweep of her sharp eyes confirmed that there were other species here as well. Mere chicken eggs lay next to the dragon eggs, and Andromeda gathered that they must be prepared as Basilisk eggs. Many other creatures' eggs lay in the collection.

Another corner of the room contained things that you're likely to see in Borgin and Burke's, perhaps even rarer artefacts. Cursed necklaces hung in midair, skulls lined the tables, and everything on there looked dark and evil. Then, finally, there was a trunk which Sirius stood next to.

"Amazed?" Sirius asked, smirking.

"That's an understatement." Andromeda managed.

"So what are you doing here today, cousin?" Sirius asked, sitting down on the trunk. Andromeda conjured a chair for herself.

"You know what I came here for, Sirius." Andromeda said, sitting down.

"Indeed I do. What made you abandon the life you lived before?" Sirius asked.

"I had…er…a think about it." Andromeda said. "And I've decided that it wasn't worth it, running away. Don't you think so…sometimes?" She asked the only other member of the Black family who ran away when he was a teenager.

"Of course I do. Why else would I be doing this?" Sirius held his arms wide, gesturing at the room. "Normally I wouldn't give a shit about the family and its wellbeing, but now…I'll do whatever is necessary to help Harry and stay alive." Sirius said.

"Well said." Andromeda agreed. "I'm in." She said rather abruptly. She's already left Ted. If she wanted to do this,

"You're in? Just like that? I haven't even told you what I was going to do yet!" Sirius said, surprised.

"I have my reasons." Andromeda said shortly, thinking back to Ted and his affairs with other women.

"They must be very good reasons, then." Sirius murmured. "So…er…you might not be…well, you might not like this plan, Andie." He mumbled.

"Well I can't decide if you don't say it." Andromeda said a bit testily.

"I'm planning to break Bellatrix out of Azkaban along with Harry." Sirius said in a small voice. Andromeda sat there for a few moments.

"WHAT?" She exploded. "Do you have any idea of what you're doing? I forbid it, Sirius! She's insane! She's no longer the Bella we used to know! What can you…what can _we _gain from breaking her out? How do you know that she's not going to run back to Voldemort like the good little slave she is? I'm not coming back to the family just to be arrested and thrown into Azkaban! What were you thinking, Sirius?" Andromeda yelled, feeling the pent-up bitterness, longing, and frustration welling up. Sirius cringed.

"Andie, just hear me out!" Sirius yelled over her ranting.

"This'd better be good." She huffed.

"Remember when we were little, our parents used to tell us how family glory is the most important thing?" He asked.

"How could I forget?" Andromeda said.

"Er…" Sirius said. "Of course you can't." He mumbled. "I simply forgot that you never paid attention in any of the gatherings…"

"Sirius…" Andromeda had a warning tone in her voice. She was blushing, though, because what Sirius said was true. She never _did_ pay attention to her parents' ramblings about blood purity and family honour.

"Okay okay!" Sirius said. "I mean…maybe we could convince Bella that Voldemort will lead the purebloods into destruction, and that if she kept following the madman, our family would be wiped out." Sirius said. "Think about it, Andie. The whole propaganda that Voldemort's using is to wipe out Muggles and Muggleborns and bring the pureblood back into the old days of glory. If we can somehow convince Bella that Voldemort is using her to his own advantage, then maybe she won't be so hell-bent on serving him. We also need to expose her to the truth that Voldemort is a half-blood." Sirius said.

"Voldemort's a half-blood?" Andromeda asked incredulously.

"Yes. He is." Sirius smiled at her astonishment. "What, shocked?"

"Quite." Andromeda said. "That is really good blackmail information. If you could use that to blackmail Bella to defect…" She said.

"Well aren't we all versed in the art of blackmailing?" Sirius asked.

"Don't start on the puns, Sirius." Andromeda said. Sirius grinned.

"Of course not, but as I said, I'm pretty confident that Bella didn't know about the fact. She wouldn't lower herself to licking the shoes of a half-blood." He said. "Moving on, I made a potion the other day…" He said, getting up. Andromeda followed him to the potions section, where Sirius took out a vial containing a liquid which had a hot-pink colour. Andromeda narrowed her eyes.

"Sirius, is that what I think it is?" She asked.

"If you think this is a love potion, then no." Sirius said.

"I'm not stupid." Andromeda snapped. "It's a de-aging potion. Sirius, that's illegal! If anyone finds out you'll be thrown back into Azkaban, this time for a crime that you _did_ commit!"

"Who said the Ministry was going to find out, Andie?" Sirius asked, holding the bottle up. "I'm going to give this to Bella, Cissy, and myself. You could also take it if you want." He offered.

"Why would I do that?"

"I suspect that Ted Tonks didn't give you a good marriage, did he?" Sirius hit the nail right on the head. Andromeda stiffened, and Sirius smiled. "I'm giving you the chance to start over again, after the war is over, Andie. You know that this potion permanently reverts you back to a fifteen year-old, which is what I set for the potion to work toward. You could either choose to go to Hogwarts for another two years under a different guise and name, or you could refuse the potion and stay here to help the Order with the war. Personally I'm choosing the first option because I want recompensation for the twelve years I spent in Azkaban. You could choose the same, and find someone else to settle with once the war is over." He finished softly.

"I…" Andie felt conflicted. If she took the potion, she would be younger than her own daughter, but if she didn't, she would be giving up on a once in a life time chance.

"Do it, Andie." Sirius urged.

"Okay, I will." She exhaled sharply as Sirius put the potion back on the shelf.

"Good." Sirius seemed to be satisfied, and Andromeda studied her cousin. He had managed to sweet-talk her into making another huge decision that will change her life forever. This kid (he was still younger than her), was good. She had to give him that.

"Well, what's your plan after that?"

"Since I made Harry my heir, I'm planning to take the seat on the Wizengamot." Sirius said. Andromeda peered at her cousin.

"Are you feeling okay, Sirius?" She asked.

"Andie, I know what you're going to say, and the answer is still the same." Sirius said firmly. "I know what I'm getting myself into by taking up another role in the war. Right now I think the only reason the Ministry is so weak and gullible is because Lucius Malfoy has Fudge in his pocket. If he can bribe the incompetent excuse of a Minister, than so can we." He said. "After all, our family goes back further and has more political power than the Malfoys. We simply haven't been active for the last few decades." He said.

Andromeda gnawed on her lower lip. It was a bold, risky move, but if Sirius succeeded, it would give them the upper hand in the war. She knew that the Ministry is corrupt and it needs the right people to make it…well, less corrupt.

"Are you sure?" She asked. If Sirius were to do it, she couldn't exactly stop him, so she might as well give him her support.

"I'm positive." Sirius nodded. "I'm tired of being holed inside Grimmauld Place. I'm a prisoner in my own house." He grumbled. "I need to get a life." He said.

"Dissing ourselves, aren't we?" Andromeda laughed.

"It's sad, but true. Now if I were to take over the Black seat on the Wizengamot, activate the vaults, and attend the meetings, I would have much more political power. I'm afraid of the Ministry falling into Voldemort's hands, because I know for a fact that aside from Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort has got other Death Eaters planted inside the Ministry, all very well-hidden. I need to pluck them out one by one and eliminate the threat to the government." He said thoughtfully.

"So you need all the support you can get." Andromeda smiled. "That's why you're doing this, isn't it? Breaking Bellatrix out, recruiting me, possibly getting Narcissa's head out of her arse, and taking a more active role in Harry's upbringing…as a Lord of a family, you need members." She said.

"Correct. I hope you don't mind me reinstating you and your daughter into the family. You'll have to revert to using your maiden name since you're essentially divorced, but without the proper documents. Nymphadora's last name will be changed to Black because of your divorce, which I will finalize as your head of family. Your soon to be ex-husband will have no say in this because you, as a member of a pureblood family, will win if he decides to go to court." Sirius said smartly.

"You've got this all thought out." Andromeda accused, though she was smiling.

"I have to, don't I? It's a dangerous game to play, but if I get it right, I win everything." Sirius said.

"Indeed it is…but if you do this, you'll have a political war to fight with Voldemort's purebloods, and also another war to fight, involving more dueling and less politics." Andromeda warned him.

"Which is exactly why I have decided to call Bella and Cissy back, isn't it?" Sirius asked. "You know that Bella prefers dueling and spell-casting, so I'll send her off to Harry and his friends, who will all be dealing with the front-line fighting, while Cissy, you, and I will manoeuvre our way around the Wizengamot and sway the public and the Ministry to our side." He said.

"You Slytherin." Andie said, and she meant it as a compliment. "That's a very cunning plan. If we manage to get public support…"

"Then Harry will have an easier time fighting Voldemort. Not only that, if we can find trustworthy people within the Ministry, the Order's numbers will grow as well." He said.

"And the war will be over quicker." Andromeda finished. The two sat there for a while in silence, mulling over the plan.

"I think you should go ahead with it, Sirius. If anything happens, know that I'll be behind you every step along the road. It's a precarious road, but I believe if we do this together, we have a chance of winning this thing." Andromeda said determinedly, grasping her cousin's hand. Sirius gripped her hand tightly, his eyes expressing the gratitude that he'll never be able to form into words.

"I just hope this works." He said simply.

"It has to, or Harry might be fighting a war that he's destined to lose." Andromeda said grimly.

* * *

><p><strong>Remember at this point nobody knows what's going to happen in the future, so they don't know if Harry is going to win or lose, but they're giving him their support.<strong>

**Anyway, hope you liked this. As a review pointed out, there has been too much recapping and thoughts in the previous chapters, so I thought I'd move onto the general ideas of the plan. **

**Click the button and review!**


	7. The Trunk

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7—The Trunk<strong>

"Sirius?" Harry yelled. "Sirius!" He yelled again. Then he heard the front door close. He rushed downstairs. "Sirius?" He asked, but nobody was here.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ron and Hermione caught up to him.

"Er yeah…I'm fine." Harry said. He looked around again. "Have you guys seen Sirius?"

"No, sorry. We were in the kitchen." Hermione said. "Did you check his bedroom?"

"No." Harry replied. "Hey, why didn't you guys go to Diagon Alley with the others?"

"Why didn't _you_?" Hermione countered.

"Fair enough. I thought I might want to learn more about Occlumency and devise ways to get rid of Snape as fast as possible."

"Professor Snape, Harry." Hermione said sternly. Both of the boys rolled their eyes.

"What about you? Why didn't you go?" Harry asked. They blushed and mumbled something. The gears in Harry's brain clicked into place and his eyes widened. A delighted grin made its way onto his face.

"No, seriously?" He laughed. "Were you guys snogging in the kitchen?" He asked slyly. Hermione blushed a darker red and Ron turned as red as his hair. Both looked thoroughly embarrassed. Harry held up his hands.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you to your smoking, searing snogging sessions. I need to find Sirius anyway." Harry grinned and loped off and up the stairs, leaving a pair of still blushing teenagers behind him.

"Wait, did he just use an alliteration?" Hermione asked after a long while, blinking herself out of her stupor.

"I dunno. What the heck is an alliteration anyway?" Ron asked.

"An alliteration is a literary device in which—" Hermione cut herself off embarrassedly, realising that she was about to lecture Ron on a predominantly Muggle writing device. Ron grinned.

"I don't mind learning more." He said, and Hermione's face practically glowed.

Meanwhile, Harry was knocking on Sirius' door.

"Sirius?" He asked softly. When there was no response, he opened the door gently. It swung forward without a single noise. Harry's feet brushed against the plush carpet. Nobody was in the room. It looked unslept in, but was probably recently visited, as the layer of dust was disturbed. He was surprised. Where did Sirius sleep if not in his room? Then something caught his eye. While everything else was untouched, there was a stack of yellowed parchment on the table.

Feeling curious, Harry approached it. He knew that he shouldn't read what was probably a private stash of letters, but he really wanted to know what they said. He picked up the topmost parchment. He noticed that the handwriting seemed feminine and very elegant. In fact, it wasn't just normal writing—it was a beautiful, flowing calligraphy that decorated the parchment charmingly. Now he was _really_ interested. Sirius had a lover? Then he silently chastised himself. From what he could piece together from gossips from the girls in Hogwarts, Sirius had been very handsome when he was young. At least, that was what he heard in third year. He had no reason not to believe it, though, because Sirius looked handsome even after twelve years in Azkaban. Harry chuckled to himself. These were probably some letters from fangirls. Why would Sirius keep them, though? Well, he'll start with reading the content first.

_Dear Sirius,_

_It's been dreadfully boring here at Black Manor. Mother and Father took Andie and Cissy to Diagon Alley. I, of course, already have everything I need for Hogwarts. They were slightly mad at me for not coming since, after all it _is_ Cissy's first _true_ experience at Diagon Alley, buying her own material and things, but this is my OWLs year and I'm afraid I have to throw in a lot more effort than I do usually. Ugh, how utterly ridiculous. I bet I could pass those tests with my eyes closed and hands tied behind my back!_

Harry raised an eyebrow at this. He guessed this was Bellatrix, as she wrote about Andromeda 'Andie' Tonks and Narcissa 'Cissy' Malfoy. He never knew she was so…casual yet arrogant at the same time.

_Anyways, you don't have to worry about these for another eight years. Eight! Merlin knows _what_ I'll be doing by then. Would I be married? Would I have children already? Blah, yucky little creatures._

Harry repressed a snort at this. He shouldn't be finding anything Bellatrix writes amusing at all, but there was obviously a lot of her history he was missing. Maybe these letters would give him some insight into her character before she went all batshit and became Voldemort's right hand woman. He didn't have the time though, and as soon as he cast his eyes back on the parchment the door opened, and he turned quickly to Sirius, a guilty expression on his face.

Sirius smiled wryly. "I suppose I should have put those away, but no matter." He cleared his throat, and Harry place the letter down quickly, flushing with embarrassment. He stepped back sheepishly.

"Come. Bring those letters with you, actually. It wouldn't hurt to know a bit more about Bellatrix before…well," He grimaced. Harry nodded, taking the letters up carefully. Sirius glanced at the top piece as they walked out.

"Her fifth year." He remarked quite calmly, "When I was seven." He clarified. "That year was when she started to slip. She was fine until after she took her OWLs. Correspondence stopped at the beginning of year six." He said absently, walking down the twisted, rickety stairs towards the basement. Harry cast him an unbelieving expression, and he smiled. "I guess you're having a hard time believing that she and I actually could hold a civil conversation back then."

Harry nodded mutely.

"Granted, it was a long time ago," Sirius muttered. He walked through something and turned invisible, alarming Harry. "Ah, I forgot." He heard Sirius's voice come from the other side. Hesitantly, he raised a hand to it, and too late did Sirius's sharp voice reach him. He screamed when the pure arcs of energy raced through his body, sending him crashing a few feet back, trembling like he was suffering some aftershocks of a mild Cruciatus curse. The letters were scattered over the floor.

"Fuck!" Sirius swore, reemerging from the barrier. "Curses, I forgot!" He said, bending down. When Andromeda followed him down, she could see him perfectly well beyond the repelling ward as she was a direct Black heir. Harry, however, while having partial Black inheritance, received it only from his grandmother, whose generation's influence is not strong enough to help him bypass the wards. That reminded him—he would have to legally adopt Harry after he gets his name cleared. How he was going to do that…well, he was actually reconsidering having Narcissa divorced from Lucius Malfoy, for he needed a favour that he believed the current Lord Malfoy could aid him with, albeit through some subterfuge. He was a Black, though, and subterfuge was child's play to him despite everything. Some things, he learnt, never really leaves a person.

Murmuring a healing spell and another to ease the muscle spasms, Sirius helped Harry up.

"What was that?" Harry groaned, rubbing his head.

"A blood repelling ward." Sirius replied, to which Harry gave a horrified look. "It's a precaution." He said hastily. "A bit of Dark Magic, although it really depends on your definition of 'dark'." He explained. "Politics." He said simply when Harry appeared to be confused. He would have plenty of time later to explain the corruption of the Ministry to Harry, although he knew his godson already has more than just an inkling as to just what goes on between the higher authorities.

Harry scowled, thinking of Fudge's incompetency and that despicable toad Umbridge.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, heir to the family, hereby allow Hadrian James Potter to enter the blood wards." Sirius said firmly, touching the barrier. A pleasant hum made itself aware to Harry, and when Sirius stepped forward again, he could see the man pass through something that rippled subtly. Cautiously, he did the same, and to his relief he was unharmed. He looked at the dead end in front of him with a question on his lips, and was met by a whirring knife-like object that slid out of the wall smoothly. Sirius drew blood, and a monotonous voice dictated,

"Sirius Black, age 37, male. Second person detected."

Sirius nudged Harry forward, and with an air of nervousness around him, the teen nicked his finger on the presently completely clean point.

"Hadrian Potter, age 15, male." The voice recognised. "Unauthorised."

Sirius scowled and tapped a part of the wall with his finger, revealing a small keypad. He entered a code, and the doors hissed open almost reluctantly after a small beep. Harry gathered the letters up again.

"Bloody family magic. The sooner we get on with this the better." He said, striding in. They walked until they reached another door which Sirius threw open.

Harry was floored by what he saw. Sirius smiled broadly. He enjoyed the reactions every time he brought somebody down here. Considering he was the true heir, only he knew of this location through his father Orion, who approved of him slightly more than his mother, at least while they were alive. His recent talk with Walburga left him stunned and unsure whether he would _want_ to converse with his mother again.

"This…all of this…can't be legal." Harry finally managed.

"Well done." Sirius laughed. "It isn't hard to figure out that my family wasn't the most law-abiding of the bunch."

Harry rubbed his head with a chuckle, eyes still roaming around the room. He placed the letterd down on a desk and approached a particular wand on the wall that he felt some sort of connection with, and Sirius watched warily.

He touched its holster gently, as if afraid another reaction like the one with the ward would happen, but only a small tendril of warmth shot up his arm. He took the wand from its place swiftly and simply held it loosely, sighing with pleasure when hushed murmurs filled his mind. Not even his original wand had bonded with him like this. He gripped it firmly, and gave it a wave. Golden streaks of light danced in front of his eyes, and Sirius raised an eyebrow, impressed. He walked over, skimming the plaque beneath the holster, which he took off and tossed to Harry, who caught it with his Seeker skills.

"Yew and Blackthorn, 12 inches, core of…" He paled briefly. "Merlin's balls and Morgana's tits, Harry. How did you bond with a wand that has Basilisk venom as its core?" He squinted. "Stabilised with Pheonix tears. Bloody hell."

Harry gaped at the wand in his hand. The wand itself looked ordinary enough; pale, slender wood that had dark patterns that was the Blackthorn running up somewhere near the tip. The base was thicker at a noticeable point, giving Harry a comfortable grip on it.

"I guess it'll be your secondary wand, then." He mused. "Dual-wand wielding is nearly unheard of at this age." He explained. "I myself have a custom wand made of Black Walnut, 13½ inches, Dragon Heartstring from a Hungarian Horntail. The wand I received from Ollivander was 12¾ inches, Cedar with Dragon Heartstring of a Chinese Fireball. Dual wielding requires the wizard or witch to be ambidextrous." He smiled at Harry's grimace. "Don't worry, practice is what'll get you there." He said with a glint in his eyes Harry didn't miss. He gulped. "I suggest you strap the holder to your left arm under your clothes. These are designed so that with a flick of your hand the wand will be at the ready, in your palm." He helped Harry put it on and placed the wand there. He then demonstrated the snapping motion of the wrist and forearm that Harry repeated carefully. He was surprised when the wand shot into his hand, but was so surprised he dropped it. Sirius picked the wand up and grinned when Harry took the holster off.

"It's useful." He admitted.

"More than." Sirius said, walking over to a trunk next to what looked like extremely dark artifacts. Harry walked around them and reached the trunk, which Sirius opened. "Most people will not be expecting two wands on a person, Harry." He said. "But I will instruct you further when we get to the actual training. For now I want you to know that you will be using this trunk for everything afterwards."

Harry looked at is skeptically. "It looks no different to any normal trunk."

Sirius's eyes glittered, and Harry got nervous. Whenever his godfather looked like that, he was up to no good.

"Don't worry. I just like proving you wrong." Sirius teased. "Second compartment activate." He murmured, and the second trunk expanded quickly. Sirius hoisted himself up and hopped in. Harry expected him to get stuck, but he disappeared. Harry peered in to see some spare books lying around, and he heard Sirius's laugh from inside the trunk .

"Jump in. It's charmed so that people don't suspect anything going on in here."

Harry grabbed the stack of letters and obeyed the instructions, landing upright, surprisingly, and looked around in wonder. It looked like an apartment in here. "It's like Moody's trunk!" He suddenly exclaimed, looking around. "Except…much more comfortable." He put the letters on a sidetable and walked around.

"Of course. This will be my living quarters from now on." Sirius replied brightly. Harry peered at him.

"Are you feeling alright, Sirius?"

"Merlin, that's the second time someone asked me that today." Sirius said exasperatedly, thinking of Andromeda. "Of course I'm alright, I know exactly what I'm doing. While you are in school I will be accompanying you every step of the way. I won't even show up on the Map because of the enchantments on this." He said, patting the light-coloured wallpaper fondly. "And once we break Bella out, she'll be staying with me in here."

"Are you _insane_?" Harry asked loudly. "How do you know she won't wander off into Hogwarts and terrorise the students or run and find Voldemort?"

"…" Sirius hesitated. "Family magic." He finally said. "There are a few nooks I haven't managed to clear up yet but I assure you I have a foolproof plan." He certainly sounded a lot more confident than he felt.

"I'll have no choice but to trust you, will I?" Harry looked resigned, and surprisingly mature at the moment.

"I, ah—no." Sirius said sheepishly.

"So let me get this straight, this trunk will be my new trunk for Merlin knows how long, and I will have my godfather and his insane cousin-murderer-escapee- convict-fugitive-whatever living in here." He listed.

"Pretty much." Sirius mused. "Also maybe Andromeda and Narcissa will drop in at times."

"Please tell me you have arrange some alternative method of getting them into the trunk…like, other than them arriving at Hogwarts and clambering into my trunk, which will be located in the Gryffindor dorms ensuring that if they get caught I will not possibly be able to explain their presence." Harry pleaded.

"I'm working on it." Sirius said. He had planned to make Portkeys keyed into the trunk's wards, since there is no fireplace in the trunk, denying them access to the Floo network. Even if they _did_ have a fireplace, like the Room of Requirement, the trunk is a hidden place distorted by magic, and would not register on the network properly. He knew, though, that having only one primary form of transport would be extremely risky, so he planned to also ward the trunk so only blood-relatives and people allowed by himself to apparate in could do so.

"Alright. How will you get food?" Harry asked.

"I can apparate to Muggle London or something, under a glamour." Sirius said. He had given this more thought lately, and figured he would cover himself with makeup and glamours to change his appearance after he takes the de-aging potion. He could use this for his cousins as well, and it was simple to just change their hair-colour with a spell. After all he was no stranger to those, considering the amount of pranks he devised similar to that.

"As long as you sort everything out." Harry shrugged. "So I guess the other compartments serve for other purposes?"

Sirius nodded. "The first compartment will be your usual storage, where you put everything, and don't worry it's divided up. Anything else you don't want to put in there but you want to have, you can put it in this one. I can put it in one of the spare bedrooms. As for the third compartment, it's for your training, and by that I mean the more physical sort. See those small blank spaces on the wall over there?" Sirius pointed at the weaponry section. "I've selected some of the most useful and easy to use weapons and put it in compartment three already. Three will also have a duelling stage for mock duels. There are also armours and protection in the storage of three." He paused to let Harry absorb this.

"Compartment four will be the potions lab. I've already bought new equipment and ingredients and moved the stash in, so it should be easy to make potions. Compartment five is the library. I took the liberty of moving practically all of the library in this house to the trunk, so that if this house is ever raided or discovered we won't lose the books."

"And you're trusting me not to lose the trunk?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Homing ward." Sirius shrugged. "My father made this trunk and I simply improved on it to suit our needs. You or I will always know where this is, you as heir, me as Lord." He explained. Harry never knew there were so many wards that could be added for so many conveniences.

"Anyways, the penultimate compartment will give me access to the Black family's Gringotts account." He smiled wickedly at Harry's gobsmacked expression.

"How do the goblins…? What?"

"It's a Black family ward, personalised." Sirius shrugged. "Don't ask me took much about that one, I think my father even had to ask grandfather about the specifics. And finally the seventh compartment is the control compartment. I've already changed the settings." He rubbed his head. "I made a mistake in setting the entire trunk to the 1 second 1 hour ratio, but I realised that if I lived in such a time ratio in compartment two I'll have spent 60 hours in here even though I might think it's just one minute." He chuckled.

"You can control _time_?"

"Only for this trunk. More specifically compartments three, four, and five." He said. "It's a mixture of arithmancy and runes." He said. "Again, I don't know the details, I only know how to control the settings." He said, reaching up for something invisible. A chain materialised in the air and he grasped it, disappearing. Harry stared, and looked up to see a perfectly ordinary ceiling. He did the same, and as soon as the chain materialised in his hand he was dragged up, and somehow he was standing next to the trunk again, slightly disoriented by steady nonetheless.

Sirius tapped the trunk with his wand and muttered an incantation, and the trunk shrunk.

"It comes with a feather-light charm." He placed the trunk in Harry's hand, walking out of the room. As they ascended the stairs, Harry still looked a bit stunned.

"I think I might want to sleep this off." He said incredulously. "I would never even have believed that something like that trunk could exist!"

"Magic!" Sirius ruffled his hair. Harry didn't even complain.

"Magic indeed." He said, walking back up to his room and completely forgetting what he went to find Sirius for. Only when he saw the Occlumency book on his bed did he realise. "Crap!"

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, I have no excuses, just that I lost interest in Harry Potter for the longest time. Now that I've dived back into the fandom, I hope I can continue this story until the end. Bear in mind I do not have a beta and there may be a lot of unexplained points and plotholes in here. Please point them out so I can fix them! <strong>


	8. Mind Arts

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 — Mind Arts<strong>

Harry twisted in his sleep, drops of sweat beading on his forehead.

_He slithered through the shelves of misty orbs, tongue tasting the air. It tasted too clean. There was no trace of blood, no hint of what had transpired here merely a week or so ago. He turned, hissing at the shelves. 93…94…95…96…97._

_He turned, his body gliding over the metal floor. He slithered for a short distance before he stopped, raising himself so he looked eye to eye with the misty orb sitting on the shelf innocently. Frustration welled up inside him and he nearly spat venom at the shelf just to spite it. Alas, his Master forbade any destruction completely, only observation. He turned around into the corridor and met two wandtips glowing with harsh lights. He rose menacingly, hissing insults and threats. The men pointed their wands at him with alarm on their faces. He tasted the air again and opened his mouth, exposing his fangs. Venom dripped. He smelled the werewolf, but didn't recognise the other human scent. With a menacing hiss, he lunged forward towards the dark-skinned wizard, mangling his neck before they could do anything. _

_The taste of blood filled his mouth, the warmth invigorating him and sliding down his throat like soothing nectar. He injected his venom and relished in the—_

_"Harry!"_

_He withdrew, hissing at the werewolf, who circled them frantically, eyes glowing golden and a snarl on his lips._

_"Harry! Harry!"_

_"Har—"_

"—ry!" Harry bolted up, a panicked expression on his face. Ron and Hermione were around his bed, looking at him worriedly.

"Your scar." Ron said quietly. Harry clasped a hand to his throbbing forehead and felt a sticky substance coating his fingers. With a grimace he saw the dark red blood glistening dimly in the candle light. He pulled a tissue from the holder and wiped it off, patting his forehead dry and wiping the remnant blood off.

"Harry, you aren't supposed to be receiving these visions anymore." Hermione said.

"I know." Harry flopped back down down, a grimace on his lips. He was sweaty all over, and adrenaline pumped through his blood. "I'm working on it, Hermione." He said tiredly. It would do nobody any good getting angry at her. He was trying, but he couldn't do it without actual instructions. He gathered his erratic thoughts together and went over his dream. He sat back up again, eyes wide.

"Remus!" He gasped. "And some Auror, I think!" He didn't mention that he was Voldemort's snake once again. "Attacked! The same place where Mr. Weasley was attacked." He said.

"What?" Ron squawked.

"We have to tell the Order!" Hermione said. Harry grabbed his wand and slammed the door open.

"Sirius!" He called. "Mrs. Weasley! Mr. Weasley!" He said, tearing through the house. Door opened, revealing bleary faces.

"Harry?" Fred asked.

"What is it now?" George rubbed his eyes.

"Harry? Ron? Hermione?" Sirius burst out of his door, wand at the ready. His eyes were sharp, and his stance tense.

"Remus!" Harry gasped. "Remus and some dark-skinned Auror were at the Department of Mysteries when they were attacked by Voldemort's snake!"

"What!?" Sirius looked alarmed. Wasting no time, he grabbed Harry and turned, reappearing downstairs with a gasping Harry, not used to the sensation of apparition. He strode over to the Floo and tossed a handful of powder into the flames, stepping in. He looked at Harry.

"Hogwarts, Headmaster's office!" He said clearly, vanishing in a whoosh of green. Harry followed him quickly, stumbling out of the fireplace to see Dumbledore walking out of his private quarters, looking tired, but blue eyes sharp and alert.

"Dumbledore, Remus and Kingsley, where are they!" He snapped. Dumbledore frowned.

"As far as I know, Remus is at home. Kingsley, though, I'm not sure." He said. "I will pay a personal visit to the Hall." He said in a steely voice. "Stay here and await my return."

Before Sirius could protest, Dumbledore vanished into the magical fire. He scowled, sitting heavily in one of the chairs. Harry joined him in sitting, eyebrows furrowed, still gripping his wand.

"So," A snide voice travelled into their ears. Sirius looked up sharply at the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black. "A blood traitor and his ilk." He said, looking down at them disdainfully. Harry had seen the deceased Black around in the times he had been to the Headmaster's office before, but never truly paid attention to the man aside from thinking he was highly unpleasant.

"What do you want." Sirius grated.

"Nothing." Phineas. "Your _godson_ simply woke me from my slumber by his ungodly screeching."

Harry opened his mouth to retort, but Sirius beat him to it.

"As if my dearest _mother_ doesn't do that often enough." He snapped. Before a full-blown argument could break out, Dumbledore returned with a grim look on his face.

"Good news and bad news." He announced. "Remus was at home tonight, but Kingsley was patrolling. Unfortunately he was dead upon my arrival." He said mournfully.

"How could this have happened, Dumbledore?" Sirius asked tightly. "How could Harry have seen something that was partly true but partly false?"

Dumbledore sat down behind his desk, steepling his fingers. "I believe after the last, failed attack on Arthur Weasley, Voldemort has learnt of this connection between him and Harry." He said in a grave tone. There were sharp intakes of breaths. "This means that he, an accomplished Occlumens and Legilimens, can manipulate Harry's visions. This is why I insisted that Harry should learn Occlumency." He looked at Harry over his half-moon glasses, and Harry scowled at the ground.

"Yeah, with _Snivellus_," Sirius sneered. "He would sooner pave a path for Voldemort to Harry's mind than help him protect himself against the monster."

"Now, now, Sirius." Dumbledore said in a reprimanding voice. "Severus is only teaching him the only way he knows how."

"Yeah right!" Harry couldn't help but to snap. "He refused to teach me after I somehow threw him off by launching myself into _his_ memories!" He exclaimed hotly. "I have never seen a more unprofessional man in my entire life!"

Dumbledore sighed tiredly while the gears turned in Sirius's head. "Harry, my boy, you must understand that Professor Snape is in a precarious situation…"

"Don't give me that, Professor." Harry said rather coolly. "If you truly wanted me to understand you would include me in the Order meetings. You would talk to me instead of ignoring me, and you would tell me things instead of leaving me in the dark. I'm _tired_ of trying to fight a war in which I don't understand a single thing of what's going on. How do you expect me to ever defeat Voldemort like this? I don't even understand _why_ he attacked Mr. Weasley and Kingsley. What is he looking for?" He ranted angrily.

"It's for your own good, Harry." Dumbledore said sadly. "I only wished to protect you—"

"I'm not going to let anyone else die like this anymore!" Harry shouted furiously. His Holly and Pheonix wand vibrated in his hand, responding to his anger. Sirius grabbed Harry's arm.

"If you'll excuse us, Professor. I think we all need the sleep tonight." He said reservedly. Dumbledore looked at the Black with an undiscernible expression before nodding. Sirius ushered Harry into the Floo and they both flooed back to Grimmauld Place, thinking of the location in their minds, unable to speak as the Fidelius was still in place.

The next morning found Sirius curled up at the end of Harry's bed in his Animagus form. Harry nudged Padfoot with his foot, and the dog look up, sneezing. Taking a look at the bed beside him, Harry was surprised to find that Ron was already gone. He looked at his watch and started.

"Twelve ten already?" He said, scrambling up. Sirius leapt off the bed and transformed back.

"You've had a rough night." He said, shrugging. "The rest are having lunch at the moment."

Harry's stomach grumbled. Sirius smiled.

"After you have lunch, I think we should get started with your Occlumency lessons." Sirius said. Harry looked at him in surprise.

"I was actually going to ask you about that." He said. "Do you think you could teach me?"

"Of course." Sirius chuckled.

"I didn't want to ask at the beginning just in case you weren't an Occlumens." Harry explained.

"Of course I'm an Occlumens." Sirius sounded indignant and offended, and Harry looked at him strangely. "Ah, I forgot you didn't know. All pureblood children are required to learn Occlumency as a natural skill while growing up."

"And the other one?" Harry asked. "Le-Legi-Legili—"

"Legilimency." Sirius completed for him. "Let's go down to lunch first. It's not nice working on an empty stomach." He said. Harry agreed as Sirius walked out of the room, changing into casual clothing. He hurried downstairs to find the conversation in full swing. Everyone turned to look at him as soon as he walked in, and he noticed Remus sitting beside Sirius. The man stood and Harry walked over, giving him a firm hug.

"I'm glad you're alright." He said. Remus smiled down at him, weariness in his eyes.

"As alright as I can be in a period like this." He replied. Harry glared at the table when he thought of the corrupt Ministry. One thing led to another, and he sat down on Sirius's other side, clenching his fist and thinking of Umbridge. As he did so, the scars on his hand from the Blood Quill stood out under the glaring lights, and Sirius noticed them, expression darkening as quick as lightning. He vowed he would make that woman pay as soon as he becomes Lord Black.

Harry was thrown out of his thoughts when his stomach rumbled loudly. He broke out into a grin and reached for the ladle, deciding to put his thoughts aside for the afternoon and just focus on devouring Mrs. Weasley's delicious cooking. For the first time after Voldemort's return, he was able to relax and truly open up to his friends and everyone else around him. After all, he had Sirius now, and the plan was slowly falling into place. He was confident that everything would turn out better now that he had something substantial to contribute.

He bade farewell to a burping Ron and Hermione who was chastising him, heading to Sirius's room, where the trunk was currently being kept at. When he walked in, Sirius flicked his wand at the door, locking it and putting privacy wards up.

"Alright, so today we're actually going to put all that theory into practice." Sirius said, gesturing for Harry to join him on the floor. Harry sat and crossed his legs, expression attentive. "I noticed that you said to Dumbledore, in one of your lessons with Snape, you fended him off by counter-attacking and delving into his memories?" He asked. Harry nodded curiously. Sirius smiled.

"Do you remember what I said earlier about Legilimency?"

"Well, you didn't exactly say anything." Harry said.

"True." Sirius admitted. "Well now I'm going to tell you about it. As you may have gathered, Legilimency is the opposite of Occlumency. Instead of defending the mind it invades someone else's mind. It is an extremely useful art in its own right, but almost unknown to all but the most powerful and talented wizards, and of course passed down in families that have an affinity for this magic. I myself am an emotional Legilimens. I cannot necessarily read minds but I can tell when someone is lying to me or doing something dishonest." He said. "With me it's more feelings and emotions than actual memories and thoughts. Take Bellatrix, though. She's a natural Legilimens. Voldemort is a learned Legilimens, and Dumbledore is also a learned Legilimens. Those two are powerful wizards in their own right, but it does not come from any family magic. They have trained themselves and perfected the art, but not without struggles and hardships. Bellatrix on the other hand was born with this ability. As she grew the ability grew with her, and being raised in such an environment it was prized and she used it ruthlessly. She had long since mastered it by the time she graduated Hogwarts. She is the type who can tear into your mind and extract every secret you own unless you are a formidable Occlumens." He said. Harry nodded, eyes wide and fearful.

"So this is how Voldemort did the vision thing." He said. Sirius nodded.

"You're not a natural Occlumens, but you can learn. Occlumency is easire than Legilimency. According to what you did to Snape, you are a natural Legilimens in a twisted, counter-intuitive form. It's what is called Offensive Occlumency. Upon unskilled, unauthorised entry into your mind, intentional or non-intentional, meaning harm or not, you can take the opportunity to attack by crossing into the opponent's mind using that link they formed. The best part of this ability is that people will not expect this. You have read up on the three methods of Occlumency, correct?" He asked. Harry nodded dutifully. "They will only be expecting those three because Offensive Occlumency is a closely guarded secret within families that have affinities for the Mind Arts. Narcissa is an Offensive Occlumens. Mostly people expect to encounter shields and barriers or an organised landscape, or in the case of an accomplished Occlumens, they would expect to be led around in circles and be confused. Non of them will ever expect you to reverse the situation and make it to your advantage." He said. "Often it takes a while before their own mental shields are erected. Most accomplished Legilimens will not expect someone countering their attack."

"_I_ have that ability?" Harry was awed. It sounded brilliant. Sirius nodded.

"I can teach you the basics of it, and the mechanics, but it will be hard to grasp because you have to get experience. You have to actually practice on someone willing, or unwilling, but let's not go there yet." He joked. "When I contact Narcissa you may meet up with her and she can explain the intricacies of it."

Harry nodded slowly, wary of Narcissa Malfoy. Anything having to do with 'Malfoy' couldn't be good.

"For now I'll just teach you Occlumency in its purest states, which is of course the three methods I mentioned earlier. Tell me, which one do you think you would prefer?" He asked. Harry thought about it.

"I don't think I will be able to do the second and third types, but the first type sounds alright." He pondered. "My thoughts tend to jump all over the place, so mastering a landscape which holds all my secrets would be hard, in my opinion, so the third one would probably be even harder, according to the book."

"We'll see." Sirius said. "And have you been meditating?" He asked with a critical eye.

"Er…no." Harry said, flushing.

"Good." Sirius said with satisfaction. Harry looked at him, confused.

"But the book said—"

"You're starting to sound like Hermione." Sirius smirked. Harry ducked his head. "It's not a bad thing, but do not trust everything you read, not even in an educational textbook. Experience in these matters is far more important than textbook methods." He said. "From what I've gathered, meditation is useless because you will always be thinking of something while you're trying not to. It may even be 'don't think of anything', but you will still think of that phrase." He said. Harry laughed, nodding. It was true.

"So what I suggest is that you should just let your thoughts go. You have to _know_ what you have in your mind before you set it to be protected. Sometimes people don't even know what kind of information they deem irrelevant and leave unprotected, but a good Occlumens should know everything and keep everything, however trivial, under guard." He said. Harry nodded again. Everything Sirius said was making sense, which was more than Snape ever did. "So I will set a new exercise for you. Every night before you go to sleep, fall asleep thinking. Anything will do, be it Quidditch, Hogwarts, your studies, Voldemort, hell even girls!" Sirius said, eyes twinkling. Harry grinned abashedly at the knowing look in his eyes. "Don't worry, you're at that age." Sirius said briskly, ignoring Harry's predicatent, which the teen was immensely grateful for.

"Personally I think the best way to approach the first method is not to make shields in your mind, but to make lines of defences. The best way to do this is to visualise some sort of creature as defence. Creatures are unpredictable and can be dangerous depending on what you set. Bear in mind that you have to be able to control them." He said. Harry remembered this in the book as well. "I suggest you skim over the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander to find creatures suitable to your tastes and tasks. When you have found them come to me and I'll help you sort out which ones would be most useful."

Harry nodded excitedly. _Finally_, he thought, _I'm getting somewhere with this. Hopefully when I master it I can give Snape the biggest shock of his life!_ His expression must have come across as extremely gleeful, because Sirius looked at him weirdly.

"I don't want to know." He said. Harry smirked in amusement, standing.

"Thanks for the lesson, Sirius." He said sincerely as the older man got up. He hugged his godfather. "You've taught me more than Snape did in the entire half year."

"Of course, kiddo. I have to outcompete Snape for your affections, don't I?" Sirius smiled. He held Harry at arm's length, looking into replicas of Lily's eyes and James's features. His expression turned serious.

"Listen, Harry." He said. "I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you to the best of my abilities. You just have to listen to me, and learn up what I tell you to learn. I have complete faith in your abilities. I just want our family to come out of this war intact." He said, voice never wavering. Harry's expression was solemn and understanding.

"I will, Sirius."

"That's all I ask." Sirius said, then grinned. "Go on and do whatever you do at this time of the day, alright? Just don't forget what I told you today. If you have any further questions just come to me." He said. Harry nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Sirius to his thoughts and plans.

The man walked to his desk, pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, and started to write.

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><p><strong>I'm not sure how much I can write, because I will definitely not be updating at a regular pace due to the irregular workload the school gives. However I will try to write a bit every day, at least, but no promises. <strong>

**Feel free to drop by and give me a review! But please bear in mind I'm writing this for my own pleasure, and I don't have to adhere to anybody else's wishes. You can of course leave suggestions but they'll be up to my discretion.**


	9. The Favour

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 — The Favour<strong>

It wasn't a common occurrence for Narcissa Malfoy to receive owls. In fact, most went to Lucius and Draco. When she wanted to talk with somebody she usually invited them to the manor to have tea, and usually it is with other pureblooded ladies in their circle.

So obviously she was confused when a regal golden eagle swooped down into the gardens where she was currently attending to her roses. The eagle squawked and hopped closer to her, raising a leg. Narcissa tilted her head, confused, but accepted the letter. She turned it over, and her eyes widened at the seal of Black, her maiden house.

"Go have a bite at the owlery." She told the beautiful predator. The eagle chirped in a friendly way before taking flight. Narcissa finished watering the plants before she hurried inside and up to her study, touching the black wax seal carefully, about to break it, but with a flash of magic, the seal disappeared, and only then did she realise it would only have opened for her.

She took out a piece of parchment with jagged handwriting on it. Her curiosity nearly made her look at the bottom, but it is impolite and improper to read who sent her the letter before reading the content. Of course she didn't know that even if she did, she wouldn't be able to see a name yet.

_Dear Narcissa,_

_I know this comes completely unexpected, but I have a favour to ask of you._

Narcissa frowned at this. Who could this possibly be? She didn't really recognise the handwriting either.

_An event occurred two days prior in the Department of Mysteries. I am not sure if you are aware of this fact, but the Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt was murdered by the Dark Lord Voldemort._

Narcissa's eyes widened again at the gall of this person to write something so sensitive down. Shacklebolt, she recalled, was quite high up in the rankings. He must have been guarding something important. Thank goodness Lucius wasn't home.

_This happened in one of the most secret and guarded rooms in the Department—the Prophecy Hall. I have reason to believe that Voldemort is going after a certain prophecy that involves Harry Potter and himself. The exact contents of the prophecy are unknown to all except for Albus Dumbledore, but the Headmaster is unwilling to share this information._

By now Narcissa has deduced that this person was definitely not a Death Eater. He or she was probably someone who is close to Dumbledore and has inside information.

_This, so soon after the attack on Arthur Weasley, has stirred an inquietude in me. I fear Voldemort is going to do something that will send a shockwave through the entire Wizarding World and help him gain even more infamy. To take steps in ensuring some resistance against him,_

At this, Narcissa gasped audibly. She quickly cast some privacy charms around her and continued to read at a faster pace.

_I need to gain a position that will aid me greatly. As you are reading this part, you will realise that you are now bound in an oath of magical secrecy through your blood._

No sooner did she finish reading that sentence, she felt a bind settle on her, and she growled at the audacity of this person. Just who was…?

_Place a drop of blood on the parchment and further information will be revealed._

Narcissa scowled and cut her finger with the paper cutter, sterilising it afterwards. She let a drop fall onto the parchment, and more words quickly began to form.

_This is Sirius writing._

She nearly dropped the letter in shock. All she knew of her cousin was that he was still an escaped convict who is the Dark Lord's right hand man. However, from what she has read so far, it seemed highly implausible, and only cemented her suspicion that a man like him would never betray the Potter like that.

_I have to ask you to tell Lucius that it is of the utmost importance that he brings Peter Pettigrew to Malfoy Manor today at 3 PM in the afternoon. _

"What?" She asked herself. "Peter Pettigrew is dead! That's why you're in Azkaban!" She scanned that part again in disbelief, and then read on.

_I will explain everything if you come to the Leaky Cauldron at 11 AM. I will be waiting in the furthest corner of the pub. No harm is to befall either of us during this meeting. This I swear as long as you do._

_The letter will self-destruct in a minute precisely after you finish reading this sentence. Please note down the time, and do not be late._

Narcissa sat back slowly, digesting the information. Part of her scoffed at the idea of her being late. She was a punctual person. The other part, the main part was still shocked that Sirius would write something like this. Her curiosity peaked, and she cast a Tempus charm. It was nine in the morning, giving her just enough time to prepare for the meeting.

She watched as the letter burnt to ashes, and with a wave of her wand, vanished the traces of evidence. She stood and went to find Draco. Her son was sitting in his room pouring over some Defence books.

"Draco." She said. He looked up.

"Mother." He acknowledged with a smile. Narcissa's expression softened. He was still so young, still not ready for the harsh world.

"I will be heading out for some business today, and I would appreciate it if you could inform your father that I will be having lunch out when he returns at noon." She said. Draco nodded.

"Of course, mother. Anything else you require of me?" He asked. Narcissa shook her head, instead, walking over to him and kissing his head full of blonde hair tenderly. She was afraid. So afraid. She wanted—no, _needed_ to protect her young dragon from the Dark Lord, yet she finds herself trapped, with no way to steer Draco away from Lucius's path. Sometimes she truly hated her husband for what he did to their family, but her love outshone that, and she could only hope he would realise his mistakes before it is too late.

At precisely eleven o'clock, the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron flared green, and a lady stepped out gracefully. Sirius observed quietly as she made her way towards the corner. She hasn't really changed. Her blonde hair was twisted up in an elegant bun, leaving just a few carefully selected strands loose. She was dressed in a dark green robe, casual, but definitely able to show that she was someone from the highest echelons of wizarding society. His lips curled when she stopped, frowning at the wards that surrounded the table.

"You may come in." Sirius expressed his permission, and the wards flickered. Narcissa's eyes widened when she took in the appearance of the only surviving Black male. She stepped in cautiously and took a seat. The wards flickered once more before they hummed, sealing them off from the outside. Narcissa knew this was a safety precaution, but she also knew it was Sirius's way of saying she wouldn't be leaving until he got something out of her. A quick study of his face showed her he was dead serious, pardon the unintentional pun. In her mind, she praised him for thinking of such a Slytherin tactic.

She remained silent, as it was impolite to speak before he did, since he invited her.

"You haven't changed." Sirius finally remarked, leaning back casually. She merely inclined her head, waiting for him to get on with it. "No small talk?" He asked. She looked at him with her icy blue eyes, and he sighed, leaning forward again. "Alright." He said, making eye contact. "I'm innocent."

Narcissa blinked. She could see no lies in that, and she was surprised when a small tendril touched her mind. Out of instinct, she followed the trail and was brought into Sirius's memories.

She stood in a Muggle street, looking at a cowering man and her handsome cousin, rage twisting his face.

_"WORMTAIL!" Sirius thundered, cornering the man with a wild look on his face. His teeth were bared in a snarl and his fists trembled._

_"S-Sirius!" Pettigrew stuttered out. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he continued in a much louder voice, "YOU BETRAYED JAMES AND LILY! THEY TRUSTED YOU TO BE THEIR SECRET KEEPER!"_

_"WHAT?" Sirius bellowed right back. He snapped his wrist and his wand fell into his hand._

_"HOW COULD YOU, YOU TRAITOR?" Peter wailed. _

Narcissa didn't know whether it was intentional or whether her position allowed her to catch the next part, but what she saw blew her mind.

_Before Sirius could aim, Peter took his wand and waved it behind his back and muttered 'Confringo'. The infrastructure exploded, and it blew Sirius back even as he whipped up a shield. The Muggles standing closest to the confrontation were blown to pieces. Peter, trembling, sliced his finger off and transformed into a rat, scampering into the now-exposed sewer system._

Narcissa watched, speechless as Sirius started laughing hysterically, tears of betrayal and rage streaming down his face.

Sirius didn't allow her to stay long enough to see his arrest as he pushed her out gently but forcefully.

"Now do you see?" He asked. "I wasn't even given a trial, just thrown into Azkaban." He said. Narcissa, for her part, felt anger welling up inside her. Enemies or not, he was still family, and he was incarcerated wrongly for twelve years of his life. She gazed at him, seeing none of her younger cousin inside the damaged man. All she could see was anger and bitterness, and a steel cold glint in what used to be warm grey eyes.

"What do you want from me?" She found herself asking resignedly. A spark of pity ignited within her, but she quashed it ruthlessly. If Sirius is as proud now as he was then, then he wouldn't accept any form of pity.

"I already told you." He said. "Tell your husband to bring Peter Pettigrew to Malfoy Manor at 3 PM. I will floo over directly and deal with him." His eyes darkened. "And tell him if he dares inform his _Lord_ of these events, I will _ruin_ the Malfoy family." He said. Narcissa had no doubt that Sirius was capable of revenge at that level. What made him even more dangerous than a true Slytherin was the mix of Gryffindor in him, making him more unpredictable. He wasn't the young man he once was. Azkaban hardened him, made him into something unstable and powerful, and she didn't want to see what would happen if Sirius Black didn't get his way. She had to protect her family.

She nodded.

Sirius smiled pleasantly, startling her at how fast his expressions could change. She looked at him warily.

"Now that's settled, I have to invite you to lunch as courtesy and a thank you for agreeing to help me." He said, waving his wand in front of his face. His black hair shortened and lightened to a fair brown colour, and his face became rounder. His nose curved like an eagle's, and his irises changed to a dark muddy brown colour. His slightly thin body rounded out as he gave himself a rotund belly. He lowered the wards and stepped out, chuckling when nobody gave him a second glance. Some looked at Narcissa but looked away as soon as she gave them her most frigid stare.

"Eef you wood please, _madame_, allow me to escorte you to ze _restaurant du Pont_." He said. Narcissa hid a smile at his perfect but fake French accent as the two of them stepped into the fireplaces.

Upon her return to Malfoy Manor, she found Lucius reading a newspaper in his favourite chair in the drawing room. Sunlight filtered through the window and she smiled at the way his hair nearly glowed. She walked over, dropping her cloak on the couch, and bent to kiss him on the temple. He smiled and folded his newspaper. She settled on his lap comfortably.

"I took the afternoon off." He informed her. "I heard from Draco that you had some business to take care of?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, dear." She said. "I need you to bring Peter Pettigrew here for me at three." She said. Lucius looked confused.

"That blubbering, no good fool? Why would you want to invite him into our Manor?" He asked. Narcissa traced his jawline with her finger coyly.

"Don't ask questions, darling." She said. Lucius was suddenly reminded of her Black heritage, and he nodded sagely, agreeing with her. A merry twinkle entered her eyes, and he sighed internally.

_Bloody woman_, he thought fondly.

"Careful what you think." Narcissa teased, and Lucius was also reminded of her talent for Offensive Occlumency. He cleared his throat.

"I believe he is currently staying with Severus." Lucius said.

"Tell Severus he must not inform the Dark Lord of this under any circumstances." Narcissa instructed. Lucius nodded as she stood to let him stand.

"What reason shall I give him if he asks?"

"If I am right he would not ask. Otherwise just tell him I have some use for the vermin." Narcissa said. Lucius noted this down and kissed her cheek before flooing to Spinner's End, leaving Narcissa to wait for her cousin.

At 2:55 PM, the fireplace of the Malfoy Manor drawing room flared to life, revealing the jolly face of a portly French gentleman. A sly smirk on the face, though, told Narcissa it was her cousin. He sat next to her.

"My husband is risking a lot to help you, Sirius." She said in a low voice. He was silent for a moment, mulling over the possibilities.

"If my plan works out, he should have less to worry about." He replied mysteriously.

"…there's also Draco." Narcissa added. "I'm afraid he will be roped into the Dark Lord's service. He's too young." She said. Sirius didn't know much about the Malfoy heir, but he _was_ Narcissa's child. Perhaps he could win her over by protecting the young man.

"You know his safety all depends on Lucius's choice." Sirius informed her. Narcissa bit her lip, recognising the truth in the statement. Before they could say anything else, Peter stepped through the fireplace, followed closely by Lucius.

"Narcissa? Who is this gentleman?" Lucius asked. Narcissa opened her mouth, but Sirius was quicker.

"Why, Lucius, you of all people should recognise me." Sirius made no attempt to disguise his voice, yet Lucius still did not know. Peter, on the other hand, squealed with terror in his eyes.

_Petrificus Totalus!_ Sirius thought harshly. Peter toppled onto the floor like a block, and Lucius's eyes widened briefly at the show of nonverbal and wandless magic. Narcissa was impressed. It seemed that while Azkaban moulded Sirius into a different person, it had not deteriorated any of his skills.

"Well, well, well, Peter." He said with hatred lacing his voice. "Nowhere to run now, hmm?"

Lucius cast a strange look at him.

"Perhaps I should introduce myself, Mr. Malfoy." Sirius smirked, cancelling the glamours. Lucius whipped his wand out, alarmed, but Narcissa's call stopped him.

"Just watch." She said. Lucius kept his wand out though, staying in front of the fireplace.

"Yes, Peter." Sirius jeered, "Recognise me?" He flicked his hand, a part of him giddy for showing off in front of the high and mighty Lucius Malfoy, and put Pettigrew upright. "As much as I would like to torture and end you for your betrayal, I have more important things to do with you. I would think a life sentence in Azkaban or a Dementor's Kiss would be preferable." He said. Lucius's grip on his wand tightened at the coldness in Sirius's voice. He never knew the Gryffindor could be so dark. "So, regrettably, I am just going transport you to the Ministry Atrium and let them have their way with you." He paused, taking out a roll of parchment which he stuck to Peter's forehead with a temporary sticking charm. He conjured a ribbon and made it tie itself, and stuck _that_ onto Peter's head nicely as well. He stunned the rat and he crumpled to the floor.

"Now if you'll excuse me." Sirius said to Lucius, levitating Peter's unconscious form. "I need to deliver an assumed dead Order of Merlin, First Class receiver to the Ministry's front steps."

"Let him, Lucius." Narcissa said when Lucius made no indication he was going to move.

"Why?" Lucius asked in a hard voice.

"Because I'm bloody innocent since Pettigrew's fucking alive, Malfoy!" Sirius snapped. "What do you _think_ I'm doing? I've got a Lordship to claim!" He said. Lucius stumbled out of the way, taking in a sharp breath as he realised Sirius now had a claim to the position of Lord Black. It would ensure him more power than Lucius because of how feared the entire family is. If he wasn't wrong Black was also Potter's godfather, making him head of the Potter family until Potter came of age.

Sirius muttered something and both he and his prisoner became disillusioned. He stepped into the fireplace.

"Ministry of Magic!" He said clearly. His magic snapped and bound Pettigrew to him so that the man emerged earlier than he did.

With a smile, Sirius saw that there was nearly nobody in the Atrium, as it was still working hours. He levitated Pettigrew to hang above the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He lay in wait for someone to discover him, and mere moments later one of the elevators dinged, and to his surprise Madam Bones walked out. He smiled at the just woman. He was lucky it was her.

He cancelled the disillusionment charm and Madam Bones gave a shriek, attracting more attention.

"Peter Pettigrew!" Amelia Bones shouted. "How is he still alive?" Her mind raced, and Sirius had no doubt it would only take a few seconds for her to reach the conclusion. When he felt her magic try to take hold, he let her, and vanished in green flames, unnoticed due to the commotion in the Atrium.

He would just have to wait for tomorrow's headlines.

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><p><strong>I do realise this chapter jumps around a lot and could have been written better. The capture of Pettigrew is essential but does not deserve an actual full blown scene by itself for this fic, as it only serves to clear Sirius's name. What he will do <strong>**_after_**** gaining Lordship is going to be focused on more. **

**Also, this ****_is and will be _****a Lucissa pairing. I don't truly dislike Lucius Malfoy, because I think he is just a man who made all the wrong choices. Sue me, but I can manipulate this character how i want in my own story. He isn't a wimp by any means, he just trusts Narcissa, and isn't stupid enough to antagonise the soon-to-be Lord Black.**

**Edit: I am aware Amelia Bones was killed in the summer of 1996, but I chose to ignore canon.**


	10. Alliance

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10— Alliance<strong>

Sirius walked with a new spring in his steps, whistling to himself. That early morning he had received mail from the Minister himself, but he had not opened it yet, wanting to share the good news with everyone else.

He entered the dining room and grinned at everyone present. To his surprise, Snape was there, and even Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at him. If he was displeased about how Sirius handled the situation, he did not show any hint of it.

Harry waved his copy of the Daily Prophet at him with a broad smile. His emerald green eyes were alight with happiness.

"How did you do it, Sirius?" He immediately asked. Sirius gave him a hurt look.

"What made you assume it was me who did it?" He asked innocently, although he couldn't quite pull it off.

"Please, Sirius, as if anyone else would have enough motivation and guile to do something like that." Andromeda piped, also smiling, happy for her cousin. Sirius had made his move, and the plan was in motion.

"Alright, alright. It was I, although I'm not going to divulge all my secrets." Sirius said mischievously. Andromeda rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Snape sneered. "Could it possibly have something to do with the fact that Lucius Malfoy visited my home and brought Pettigrew away with him?"

Sirius scowled. "Mind your own business, Snape." He said coolly. There was no point getting into an argument with the Potions Master in front of Dumbledore.

"This is brilliant." Harry continued, eyes still sparkling. He set down the Daily Prophet, which Sirius still had not read. He glanced at the title and laughed.

**Ministry Wrongly Imprisons Heir to the Black Family**

_By Johanna Earhart_

_Yesterday, the Ministry received a shocking present wrapped up with a bow and completed with the message 'Check his left arm'. Ministry official Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, discovered the stunned body of Peter Pettigrew floating above the Statue of Magical Brethren. After levitating him down, she discovered, much to everyone's horror, the Dark Mark writhing, very much black and alive on Pettigrew's left forearm._

_Pettigrew was then bound and taken to the courtroom immediately for an emergency trial. Questioning under the influence of Veritaserum revealed that Pettigrew betrayed the Potters more than fourteen years ago on that fateful night He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was vanquished by young Harry Potter. Further investigation revealed that Sirius Black was completely innocent of all charges. _

_For more information on the Dark Mark, see page 2._

_For more information on Peter Pettigrew, see page 3._

_For more information on Sirius Black, see page 4._

_For more information about the trial, see page 5._

Sirius felt his lips curl with satisfaction, not bothering to read more of the article. He sat down next to Harry and opened his letter with a smug look on his face. He cleared his throat, and Harry leaned over.

"Dear Mister Black," he read, "Due to a new development in the Ministry, you are required to attend a mandatory trial that was denied to you at the time of your incarceration." He snorted darkly at this, but did not comment. "Please arrive at the Ministry at five o'clock this afternoon precisely. This will be a trial for the sake of having an official record, as the truth has already been exposed. You will simply be required to answer a few questions, and if your responses match those of Pettigrew's, there will be no problem, and you will receive back all your rights and freedom, and a large compensation for the misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding!" Andromeda gaped. "How in the world does he condense something so _vile_ into such a simplistic, misleading word?"

Sirius shrugged, folding the letter back up and putting it in the envelope. "He's Fudge."

"Sirius, what does this entail for you exactly?" Harry asked. "When Fudge said you will receive back all your rights?"

Sirius risked a look at Dumbledore, and indeed, the old man was looking at him with an air of interest around him. Sirius sighed internally.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" He answered elusively. Harry looked mutinous for a moment, but decided to leave it until later and force it out of Sirius. As for the Black, he recognised the look on Harry's face. It was the face Lily would make right before she tortured them for information on their pranks. He grimaced lightly.

_I'll tell you later, pup._

Harry jumped so violently he banged his knee on the underside of the table.

"Harry! Are you alright?" Hermione asked immediately. Mrs. Weasley bustled over and checked the disoriented young man over.

"What happened there, dear?" Molly asked. Harry looked around, bewildered, and Sirius maintained his poker face, even though he wanted to grin like a Cheshire cat.

_You used telepathy on him, didn't you?_ Andromeda's disembodied voice floated in his mind, echoing with accusation but also a hint of amusement.

_I had already informed him he was going to be trained in this area. Not my fault if he has the memory of a goldfish._ Sirius retorted. Andromeda did not respond, but he could see her shaking her head discretely.

Harry, meanwhile, was giving Sirius a wary glare. Sirius returned it with an innocent smile, cementing Harry's suspicion that it had been him. A quick skim of the surface of Harry's mind told Sirius Harry was going to corner him straight after breakfast. He grabbed some toast and orange juice, and speared a sausage. Everything tasted better with the promise of freedom, and he found himself eating as much as Ron during lunch. Snape, of course, looked at him with thinly veiled disgust, while Molly beamed at him.

"Well, that was an eventful morning!" Sirius burped loudly. Hermione wrinkled her nose, but couldn't find it within herself to scold the man for his manners. If she were in his position she wouldn't have a care in the world either.

"Phee-ew." Harry coughed, pretending to make a scene. Sirius cuffed him on the head playfully. Harry returned the gesture with a spoonful of mashed potatoes to the face, and the rest of the breakfast quickly degraded to a mini food fight. Dumbledore and Snape quickly excused themselves and returned to Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley claimed he had to go to work, to which Mrs. Weasley replied 'this early?' with an accusing pair of eyes that meant 'how dare you leave me with these children'. Arthur merely kissed her on the cheek before flooing off as well. Molly scowled good-naturedly and stomped to the kitchen instead.

With all of the responsible adults gone (Remus didn't count, and poor Andromeda thought it couldn't be _that _bad), the mini food fight escalated at an alarming speed. Sirius joined the fight soon after, a large grin on his face.

"I'm too old to deal with this shit." Andromeda muttered, walking out after a particularly soggy piece of bread smacked her full in the face.

"You and I both." Remus said. Andromeda gave him a cool look, not having forgotten about the new relationship between him and her daughter. Remus fidgeted under her patented glare.

"If you'll excuse me." She said brusquely, walking out and leaving a nervous werewolf behind. It wasn't that she disliked Remus in any way; it was just her position as a mother that made her naturally protective of her daughter. Until she saw them together she would refrain from making any further judgement.

Remus half-considered following her, and ducked absently when a piece of sausage flew over him. In the end he decided not to go, instead deciding that leaving the room was a good idea. He exited the opposite way to find Molly. Perhaps the Weasley matriarch needed some help with something.

Slowly but surely, the food fight died down, leaving a messy kitchen, splattered teenagers, and a maniacal-looking Sirius who was drenched from head to toe with orange juice.

"Alright." He huffed at Harry's vindictive face. He waved his wand with a grimace, and all the mess disappeared, leaving perfectly clean tables and chairs. With another flourish of his wand, he dried himself and turned to the expectant teenagers. Opening his mouth, he paused for a few moments. Then he promptly shut his mouth and sauntered out with a devious smirk on his face, cleaning his wand and tucking it away.

"Hey!" Fred called after him.

"That's not fair!" George said.

"Sirius!" Hermione yelled, outraged.

In the end, everyone had to ask Molly to clean him or her, and the woman could be heard from all the way downstairs, screeching threats at a cackling Sirius. Strangely enough the portrait of Walburga Black stayed silent, curtains closed.

When Harry finally made his way to Sirius's room, he saw Sirius sitting on the floor, looking at him expectantly.

He joined him.

"Spill." Was the only word he uttered.

"Telepathy." Sirius responded. He could play the game as well as the next person. He was leery of Harry's explosive anger, a trait he had inherited from both of his parents, but he needed to see how much it took to rile his godson up. Letting emotions cloud his mind while battling will not do.

"How?"

"Magic."

Harry scowled. "Seriously."

"Siriusly."

"Sirius!"

"Harry!" Sirius mocked.

"Whatever!" Harry snarled, becoming frustrated.

"Out!" Sirius commanded. Harry stood up, his teeth gnashing. When he reached the door, though, something stopped him.

_Don't you want the ability to communicate with me without having to speak?_

His hand was hovering above the door handle as he hesitated.

_C'mon, Harry._

He felt his anger dissipating, and he turned around with a sigh.

"I'm sorry I taunted you like that." Sirius said, waiting for a response that could go either way.

"No problem." Harry mumbled, sitting back down. "It was my fault for losing my temper as well."

Sirius smiled proudly. "That's a step forward, at least." He said. Harry looked confused.

"What?"

"Your temper." Sirius explained. "You managed to tone it down. It is extremely vital that you keep your temper in check during perilous situations. It won't help for you to go do something rashly, on an impulse, without thinking of the consequences." His face darkened for an instant, thinking of his own actions fourteen years ago that led to his capture. Harry took note of this and decided not to comment. He knew Sirius knew better than anyone, having suffered dearly for what he had done. "Occlumency helps," he continued, "Once you sort out your errant thoughts and put them behind barriers, your immediate mind will be clear and focused on whatever task you have on hand. The more you train, the more you grow accustomed to always having the shields up. It'll become a second nature to you as time goes on." He said.

"Now, telepathy is _very_ closely related to the Mind Arts, except…well, it's not a known ability at all." Sirius smirked.

"Why not?" Harry decided to take the bait.

"Because it is part of the family magic." Sirius said. "Anyone outside of the immediate Black family will never have access to this kind of information, and even if they did they wouldn't be able to practice it. When the magic was invented, my ancestor created it in such a way that it would recognise who was truly part of its family. That's all I know about the theory. I guess the rest of it is up to the intricacies of family magic and blood magic."

"That's bloody wicked." Harry imitated Ron's favourite phrase.

"Isn't it? The best part is, even though it's closely related to Occlumency and Legilimency, it's completely untraceable, even by masters of the aforementioned arts." He grinned.

"How would that work, then? Wouldn't a Legilimens be able to sense your thoughts?"

Sirius shook his head. "A Legilimens would only be able to see your memories and the thoughts you have for _yourself_. The beauty of telepathy is that because you're communicating with somebody _else_, you're _projecting_ the thought into _their_ mind. Do you see? It's sort of like…what the Muggles call telephones." He said. Harry, for one, was surprised Sirius got the name right.

"Yes, telephones." He said. "How are telephones related to telepathy in any way aside from the fact they both start with 'tele'?"

"Don't get all smart on me, Harry." Sirius gasped in mock offense. "You're too young for that."

Which was quite a redundant thing to say because he was teaching Harry war skills. He had hoped Harry wouldn't call him out on that, but the deadpan stare Harry currently gave him told him otherwise.

"Alright, alright. See, telephones allow people to talk to each other over a long distance. It's similar to the floo, as I'm sure there are people behind the telephones who manage the network." When Harry nodded, he continued, "Now imagine the people _weren't_ there and there was no way to track the information exchanged because it's gone as soon as it's spoken. Of course, the speaker would retain the thought, and the receiver would also come to learn whatever information was exchanged, but then the information itself is automatically stored _behind_ the person's Occlumency shields. Therefore if a Legilimens can't get back your barriers they cannot access whatever was exchanged. Of course, if you can't block them out then everything goes into pieces, and there would be really no point in communicating with telepathy in the first place."

"That's ruddy brilliant." Harry said after he processed the onslaught of information, amazed. Hermione would _kill_ to know this, and Harry felt a bit sorry for her because she would never be allowed, going by what Sirius had just said.

"Innit?" Sirius smiled warmly. "Now, I think that's enough for today. Go ahead and do your homework or something."

At Harry's horrified look, Sirius laughed. "Just kidding, kid, go do whatever you want, just be aware that we're on a tight schedule. It would be a good idea for you to at least have _some_ sort of Occlumency defence up by the time we raid Azkaban, and I plan to do that in a week or so." He warned. Harry snapped to attention, jaw dropping.

"How am I supposed to do that in a few days? What makes you think I'll be more successful in my endeavours _now_ when I failed over half a year with Snape?" He scowled, thinking about Dumbledore's orders. As soon as he returned to school for his fifth year, he was dragged off by the Headmaster and persuaded into having these lessons with the teacher who hated him the most.

"Merlin help me I'll _make_ you learn it." Sirius grunted. "Occlumency is a much more practical scheme of work than, say, History of Magic, of course. I can contact Narcissa and Andromeda and see if they're willing to help you."

"Narcissa as in Narcissa Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I believe there's only one Narcissa we all know of." Sirius replied dryly.

"But…doesn't she hate me?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I wouldn't think so." Sirius said slowly. "She would have no reason to hate you, aside from the fact that Lucius is a Death Eater and Draco is your rival at school."

"He's not a rival he's just a bloody git who refuses to leave us alone." Harry said, disgruntled. "So you're really going to throw me to the wolves." He said flatly.

"If you think you can manage on your own, by all means go ahead." Sirius said sardonically. Harry scowled. Looks like he was stuck.

"Fine. _Fine_." He muttered.

"Perfect!" Sirius clapped his hands together, looking cheerful all of a sudden. Maybe Sirius wasn't necessarily insane after Azkaban, but was he ever sane in the first place? Harry thought the man was probably bipolar to some extent.

"If you want you can start today. I can call Andromeda over again."

Harry was tempted to say no, but time is of the essence here. "If she doesn't mind." He answered mildly.

"She won't." Sirius's answer mystified him, but he supposed his godfather had already talked to Andromeda.

"C'mon, let's get you downstairs and set up. I need to start preparing for my trial." Sirius said.

"This early in the morning?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know," Sirius waved his hand. "Stuff to take care of." He said vaguely.

As soon as a rather irritated Andromeda landed on the carpet of Grimmauld Place, Sirius stuck the two of them in a secluded room upstairs and snuck out of the house. Dumbledore, of course, did not know of these excursions outside of his appointed 'prison', as Sirius likes to call it. He changed into a dog behind a bush and padded away towards Wiltshire.

Just as he thought, Narcissa was tending to the rose bushes again. He walked around the iron fences and yipped, hoping to catch her attention. Narcissa looked up curiously at the large black dog outside of the wards.

Sirius snuffled and sniffed, tongue lolling out. He pawed the ground before the wards, knowing that if he touched them they would recognise his magic as foreign and harm him.

Narcissa went to the gate, eyes softening. Sirius gave her the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could manage. She opened the gates and Sirius bounded in. He circled the roses casually, sniffing them.

_Are your husband and son home?_

Narcissa started violently. Sirius pawed the dirt, slowly raising his head to meet his cousin's crystal blue eyes.

_Are they?_ He repeated. Narcissa muttered something about 'how come I'm not surprised'.

"Draco is." She responded. "But he's in his room studying."

Sirius decided not to risk transforming anyways. There was no telling how deep Draco Malfoy's loyalty to his father ran.

_I need Lucius to make the Ministry seem like fools this afternoon at my trial. I need him to make the situation as unfair as possible for me, to help pull people to my side. _

"And why would he do that? You know very well that the Dark Lord is back and he will question Lucius for his actions. I will not help you in any way if it harms my family." She said calmly.

_You mean more than what Lucius already did to himself?_

Narcissa glared.

_You said you wanted to protect Draco. Well, an alliance with the Houses of Black and House of Potter would be extremely beneficial to the Malfoy family._

"The Dark Lord will kill him, and he'll kill Draco too." There was just the slightest tremble in her voice as she said this, but it didn't go unnoticed by Sirius.

_I can offer extra protection, Cissy, and you know this. I doubt Lucius is ignorant of Malfoy Manor's wards. You can only enter if you are given permission to, and anyone else will suffer the consequences. If you intend to ward your home in such a way that he cannot enter, nor anyone under his orders to cause harm or potential harm to your family, then he simply cannot enter. _

"What do you have to gain out of this?"

_Ah, a very Slytherin thought. I commend you. You are right, though. Why wouldn't it be beneficial for me to have an alliance with the Malfoy family? Perhaps aside from our own family's reputation, they are the most influential line in Britain at the moment. Perhaps the better question here would be what would I have to lose?_

Narcissa knew she was backed into a corner now, and cursed her cousin for leaving her in a position like this.

_I'm sure you can sweet-talk Lucius into this. A man as cunning as he is would realise the benefits of making an alliance with me, now that everyone knows I'm innocent. After my trial I hope it will convince people who still do not believe of my innocence, that I did not commit those crimes. As long as they hold me in a better light, I can get away with many things by holding the guilt factor over them. He only needs to say yes to helping me at the trial, and I will return it in due time. _

Narcissa ground her teeth. "Deal."

Sirius looked smug, or as smug as one could look while as a dog.

_I suppose I will see him at five, then. Open the gates for me, if you will._

Narcissa did as instructed, a shrewd expression on her face. She sensed a huge shift in political power soon—perhaps as soon as Sirius emerges from the trial. She just hoped she made the right choice in believing Sirius.

The dog slipped out.

_Good day, cousin. You will be gracing me with your presence soon enough._

* * *

><p><strong>That look longer than I expected. I thought I would include the trial in this chapter, but I guess I'll begin the next with the trial. I hope the whole telepathy business made some sort of sense, at least. Also, addressing the issue of the Malfoys: in my story, Narcissa is the central being of the family, if you will. Lucius is devoted to his wife, and would do anything to keep her safe, and the same goes for Draco. Through these relationships (Narcissa's need to protect her son, and Lucius's need to protect both of them), Lucius will be forced to take up Sirius's offer if he wanted to keep Narcissa safe (as she will be under the jurisdiction of Sirius soon) and also keep Draco from receiving the Dark Mark. <strong>

**Leave a review if you have time, please! :)**


	11. Lord Black

DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!

A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11— Lord Black<strong>

Sirius sat in the seat like it was his throne, his best arrogant expression on his face. Andromeda, sitting in front to the left of Fudge's high podium as secondary defence attorney for her cousin, felt her lips quirk slightly. The soon-to-be Lord Black simply exuded haughtiness off of him in waves. She blamed it on the Gryffindor part of the man, as it was natural, though she couldn't help but to admire his acting skills. He could see the glimmer of mischief in those grey eyes as she had come to recognise with skill.

Fudge slammed his gavel. The din in the enormous hall ceased almost immediately as everyone leaned forward, eager to watch the trial unfold. Even though it has already been released that this trial was for proper documentation of an official transcript, the House of Lords and the House of Commons are united in their curiosity to find out what really happened to Sirius Black from the man's own point of view.

"Trial of the twenty-seventh of December, into offences allegedly committed under the Decree of International Secrecy and the Decree for the Outlawing of Perceivable Harmful Sorcery by Sirius Orion Black, resident of currently unknown." Fudge clearly had a disgruntled face upon saying this, causing the present members of the Order to hide smiles.

"Interrogators, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley, and Defence Attorney Andromeda Tonks, cousin to perpetrator Sirius Black." It was clear that Fudge still wanted to pin something on Sirius despite him being completely innocent, if only to find _something_ he had done wrong that would at least put him in a less-victimised spot and pull the Ministry's reputation up slightly from the pile of mud it currently resided in.

"Primary." Lucius Malfoy stood from his seat on the right-hand side of the courtroom. "Primary Defence Attorney, Minister Fudge." He said. "I myself am Mister Black's Secondary Defence Attorney."

Fudge paled upon the revelation. Hushed murmurs rose from both sides of the court, and once again he hit the sounding block with his gavel. "Silence!" He called. The murmurs died down once more, the shock having worn off and turned into more excitement over the fact that Lord Malfoy was backing Black.

"Ah, yes, forgive my error." Fudge barely managed to not stammer. Any hope he had had of accusing Sirius of anything just slipped down the drain merrily. After all, he _was_ in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. He just did not like to admit that fact, so he tries to play it off. Well, this was his perfect chance to do so, and he'd better make it good.

"Mister Black," he paused, "You will be questioned sans influence, followed up by questioning under Veritaserum with the same questions to the same effect. Do you consent?"

"Of course, _Minister_." Sirius drawled mockingly. "After all, I have done nothing wrong."

"How dare you speak to the Minister in that tone?" Umbridge stood furiously.

"Madam Umbridge." Andromeda spoke coolly without rising from her seat, nor looking at the woman. "You will remain silent as you are not an interrogator of this session. Only Minister Fudge, Madam Bones, Lord Malfoy and I can speak to and for the accused."

Umbridge turned red, but sat down with a loud huff, glaring at Andromeda.

"Alright, then. Sirius Black. Were you or were you not the Secret Keeper of James and Lily Potter?"

"No." He said with a cold, monotonous clarity.

"Did you betray the Potters in any way to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"No, and I never will betray anyone I care about." Sirius said flatly, eyes shooting daggers at Fudge.

"Were you ever under the service of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, willingly or unwillingly?" Fudge recovered from Sirius's acidic glare.

"No." Sirius looked properly offended at this question, and Andromeda applauded her cousin for his reactions so far.

"Were you ever in association with associates of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Sirius looked at Fudge with an expression what could only be called half-disbelief and half-anger, with a smidgen of amusement.

"My dear Minister," he drawled again, "If I remember correctly, and I spent twelve years in Azkaban—I used to be an Auror. Now I'm not sure what you think Aurors do but personally I hunted down Voldemort's—" Cue flinches and gasps. "Henchman and arrested more than a few back in the days. So the answer to this rather stupid question is, yes."

Fudge looked flustered. Even Lucius looked amused.

"The…the questioning under influence of Veritaserum shall now begin." Fudge cleared his throat and motioned for the Auror to administer the potion. Sirius opened his mouth and tilted his head back compliantly, letting three drops of the tasteless, clear liquid travel down his throat.

A few seconds later his eyes glazed over.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black." Sirius said in a tone devoid of any emotion.

"Where do you currently reside?" Fudge continued to test the potion with a small, smug smile on his lips, pleased that he could think of this question to ask while Sirius was under the influence of the truth potion.

"I cannot reveal that information." Sirius replied with some difficulty, as if he were choking on the answer before forced to spit it out.

Fudge frowned, and Dumbledore relaxed in his seat, satisfied.

He repeated his questions again and Sirius answered them clearly, never deviating off topic even though he was conscious under the Veritaserum. The Ministry tends to forget that Aurors undergo resistance training—that is, resistance against potions and spells that would otherwise cause a lot more damage.

"Administer the antidote." Fudge said heavily. The Auror complied, and Sirius's eyes cleared.

He started to smile when he saw Fudge's expression. Everything had proceeded without a hitch, then.

"Reparations amounting to a hundred millions Galleons will be transferred to the Black family vault. However, the fine for escaping Azkaban is twenty million, leaving the actual reparations eighty million Galleons." Fudge said. "All rights will be restored and reinstatement to Lord Black will be allowed. Any objections?"

As expected, none.

Perfect.

The only thing left is Lucius's part. Seeing as the trial was about to end, the final piece of his plan should fall in place right about…

Narcissa leaned out of the shadows, showing her face for the first time since the trial started, her light blue eyes glittering with anticipation.

Now.

"Minister, if you would please." Lucius said smoothly, standing just as Fudge raised the gavel. The Minister looked lost, his arm falling. He waited for the Malfoy patriarch to speak; clearly having no idea what the man would want after all the legal procedure finished.

Sirius leaned back, winked at Andromeda, and watched the trial unfold.

"I speak for the House of Lords today regarding the unjust incarceration of Sirius Black." He began. Fudge paled, and Sirius smirked straight at him, eyes gleaming in a way similar to Narcissa's.

"As you all know, Sirius comes from a very prominent Noble and Most Ancient Family. The mere thought of detaining a member of society's most prestigious brings horror to my entire being." And to his credit, his mouth twisted. "It is an atrocious miscalculation on the Ministry's part, to imprison the Heir to the House of Black—yes, ladies and gentlemen," he spoke with satisfaction lacing his voice, "I have checked the official family records the Lord of Houses holds, and I have discovered that despite all rumours or perceived truths, Sirius Black is in fact _not_ disowned from the House of Black due to an override of Walburga Black's orders by Orion Black, Lord Black in his own time. This, added to the fact that Sirius is the sole remaining direct male heir of the Black family, means he would have been in line to inherit his family's fortunes and the title of Lordship." He paused here, letting the implications set in. "It is with great regret that I express these facts, yet this is nothing less than the complete truth. As such, the wizarding government had condemned an innocent man with a high standing and a bright future ahead of him to a lifetime in Azkaban without feeling the need to give him a trial."

Excited whispers broke out like wildfire. Nobody except for some of the highest-ranking Ministry officials knew that Sirius had not received a trial after his arrest. This would take whatever that was left of the Ministry's reputation and crush it mercilessly. Sirius barely managed to conceal his righteous glee.

"Now, many of you may be thinking: but Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban. Surely he deserves some sort of punishment?" Lucius asked rhetorically. Everyone listened with rapt attention, and he could see people nodding. "Yet if someone places you in that situation. Would you have broken, or would you have gathered enough courage and strength to break yourself out, all the while retaining the knowledge of your innocence and not succumbing to the terrors of the Dementors?" He followed up another question. "In light of such a situation, I myself feel the need to applaud Sirius." He inclined his head at the manacled man. "Such resolve is almost unheard of. Look at him, my friends," he said, "Does he look defeated? No! What you see in him is _anger_! What you see in him is _rage_, is _fury _at the injustice that has been dealt to him by Fate's cruel hands and the Ministry's ignorance! Here is a man who refuses to be put down by the subjective laws and the corrupt administration we have suffered under for too long. We will not cower under ignorance and _pretend_ that everything is fine, because. It. Isn't." His voice had risen to a crescendo at the height of his speech and rapidly lessened to an ominous whisper by the end. Somewhere in the middle he had descended the stairs and entered the centre of the courtroom. The corrupt politicians could only watch in devastation.

"How many amongst us are hidden and disguised, waiting to strike a lethal blow in the heart of our Ministry? No more, my comrades! We shall not suffer under such blasphemy. We shall not live in fear of being tortured and murdered next. We shall not kiss the hems of those claiming to be our superior, for who is truly superior to the purest of pure? No more, my comrades! Let this be an example of what you could be subjugated to. Let us learn from this atrocious case. Let us finally rejoice for the justice that was long overdue!" He raised his voice in the end, his near-shout echoing in the dead silence of the chamber.

"Let the Lords unite. This will be our first and last warning to all who oppose."

When it became apparent that he was not going to speak anymore, Fudge dismissed the court, complexion pasty. Augusta Longbottom looked decidedly pleased at the sudden turn of events, despite it being a Malfoy who had spoken. The Lord Greengrass had a glint in his eyes. He knew it did not bode well for his family to remain neutral in such urgent times, and if his sources were correct then the Dark Lord Voldemort was indeed back. He had his two daughters to worry about, and he was afraid they would mix with the wrong crowd in Hogwarts. Many of the children in the Slytherin house had parents who are staunch supporters of Voldemort, but this shocking move by Lucius Malfoy has just revealed that the man was not allied with the Dark Lord. Yes, it would do Daphne and Astoria good to steer closer to the Malfoy heir in any case.

Sirius stood as the court slowly filtered out. The last ones remaining were the Malfoys, Andromeda, Amelia Bones, and Dumbledore.

"Very impressive, I must admit." Sirius said to Lucius, rubbing his wrists slightly. "I had not expected you to come up with such an extravagant and blatantly anti-Voldemort speech."

Everyone flinched except for Dumbledore, although the old man looked like he was caught off-guard by the recent turn of events.

"I will not say anything on the subject of that." Lucius said.

_He means later_, Narcissa translated for Sirius, sending the message via telepathy.

_Ah. We will have to arrange a private meeting sometime after my visit to Gringotts, then_. Sirius said. Narcissa dipped her head imperceptibly, and telepathized no more.

"Your sentiments at the end were very anti-Ministry as well, Lord Malfoy." Amelia said interestedly. "Would you care to explain that?"

"Fudge is an incompetent idiot." Lucius sneered. "I only support him because it is beneficial to myself." He admitted. "But…" He eyed Sirius. "Perhaps we should reconsider the choice of personnel under the Minister, and even the Minister himself…Madam Bones would be an excellent replacement for Fudge." He said graciously. Amelia smiled tightly.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Lord Malfoy." She said.

"Somehow I doubt that was flattery." Sirius commented. "He _is_ right, you know. You are a just person with a good sense of what is right and wrong, and where loopholes can be exploited. You have got the wits of a Ravenclaw, the ambition and cunning of a Slytherin, the loyalty of a Hufflepuff, and the bravery of a Gryffindor, as demonstrated by your impressive defence this summer when Voldemort attacked Bones Manor."

"Always the sweet-talker." Amelia smiled more naturally this time. "But as things are, we cannot shift the centre of power in the Ministry. If I become Minister then there will be a power vacuum in my current department, and we cannot risk having an unjust person as Head of the DMLE."

"As things stand, then," Andromeda mused, "We need to get rid of that Umbridge woman. She is definitely more trouble than she's worth, and all she has managed to do is screw up Hogwarts's defence regimen, from what I've heard."

"That _bitch_ has been using Blood Quills on students." Sirius snarled. Dumbledore looked shocked. "How do you explain that, old man?"

"I was not aware of that fact." Dumbledore looked old and tired. "But I cannot directly interfere with the Ministry proceedings in Hogwarts. My hands are tied."

"Ah, but _his_ hands are not." Sirius cast a meaningful look at Lucius. "If you'll all excuse me, I have some unfinished business to take care of in Gringotts." And with that, the free man strode out of the courtroom, leaving the five purebloods behind.

Sirius wasted no time. As soon as he reached the Ministry Atrium's fireplaces, he flooed to Gringotts directly.

"Good day to you, Director Ragnarok." He spoke, landing in the much more elegantly furnished private receiving room reserved for his family. As he thought, the goblin was seated and filing through papers. "I wish to claim my family vaults and the Black Lordship."

"Straight to the point, eh, Sirius Black?" His family account's manager grinned toothily. "Very well. Have a seat."

Sirius sat in the comfortable chintz armchair, facing the excited goblin. Ragnarok shuffled his documents and set them aside. He reached under his desk and took out a gold ceremonial knife and a gold bowl.

"Drop your blood into the bowl. The magic should recognise you as the Head of House."

Sirius did as instructed, and the wound healed on its own. His blood fizzed and foamed in the bowl, and he watched, fascinated as it disappeared and was replaced by a heavy-looking ring. It was solid silver with an obsidian stone set in with intricate silver patterns holding it in place. Small dark amethyst stones circled the obsidian, and the engraved motto _Toujours Pur _could be seen on the inside of the ring.

He picked it up with a sort of reverence, and smiled when the family magic responded. He slipped it onto his left pinkie and it resized to fit. A rush of power filled him, and he knew he was now officially Lord Black.

"Now, onto business." Ragnarok steepled his long, gnarled fingers. "The Black family's liquid estate sums up to 113 million Galleons, 201,029 Sickles, and 5085 Knuts." He said. Sirius looked impressed.

"That's almost twice the amount we've had a decade ago or so."

"Indeed. The interest rates boomed after your very own godson's triumph over Voldemort." The goblin spoke the name with disdain. Clearly he held no fear of the name or the wizard. Sirius smiled.

"Please, do continue."

"In one Bellatrix Lestrange's personal vault, the liquid investment is a total of 100 thousand galleons, 1507 Sickles, and 217 Knuts." He said.

"Why are you mentioning this to me? I thought everything in her vault now belongs to the Lestrange family."

"Not quite. The marriage contract states that only the dowry is to go to the Lestrange family. Any additions to her personal vault will remain hers and hers only, unless and until the current Lord Black does something about or to it." Ragnarok explained crisply.

"I _like_ it." Sirius grinned broadly. "I'd also like to annul that marriage contract. Are there any terms and conditions I should know about?"

"No, there are not. Your father and uncle took care before they proposed the contract, and they ironed out a strict deal with the previous Lord Lestrange. Anything currently belonging to Bellatrix will be completely sealed off from any Lestranges as soon as she is divorced. Also, only the signature of the Lord Black is required to completely disintegrate the contract. It was a necessary precaution taken by your father without the knowledge of your uncle."

Sirius smiled broadly at this, praising his father's forethought silently.

"Perfect. I would like them divorced immediately." He said.

"As you wish." The goblin took out a piece of parchment. "You need to sign here." He pointed at the bottom. Sirius picked the quill up and scanned through the parchment quickly. Nothing seemed amiss. He was half-hoping to pick up something that read similar to 'must obey Rodolphus Lestrange at any time', but no such luck. Bellatrix did everything in her own free will after the marriage, including torturing the Longbottoms into insanity. At least, that is the only crime she was accused of and convicted for. He didn't doubt for a moment that she was an avid participant in all of Voldemort's raids before his downfall; nor did he doubt that she was what people would call his right-hand woman. _Getting_ the insane witch out of Azkaban would be the easy part compared to how he would try to keep her _out_ of that hellhole afterwards.

He finished signing it with a flourish, smirking when the parchment glowed and burnt to ashes, which Ragnarok gathered carefully and swept into a small vial.

"Evidence." The goblin gave another toothy smile.

"I also like the way you think, dear Ragnarok." Sirius agreed to the delight of the goblin. "Any time you need a favour, just ask." He added. Ragnarok stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"You know, your father said the exact same thing when he first came into his own inheritance." He said carefully.

"Well then I guess the apple never falls far from the tree." Sirius responded. Ragnarok looked satisfied for some reason.

"Anything else you would like to request before we move onto the shares?" Ragnarok asked.

"Yes, actually." Sirius said. "I wish to fully reinstate Andromeda Tonks née Black as part of the family, and also add her daughter Nymphadora Tonks to the family tree."

"I will draw up the legal documents. Once it is finished both you and your cousins will need to sign the parchments and the magic should bind them and accept them."

"Alright, you take care of the documents. When you are finished I'll floo call them." Sirius said. The goblin summoned another goblin of a lower rank and murmured something to the goblin who hurried off.

"Perfect. Now, I am very pleased to inform you about your investments in the various shops in Diagon and Knockturn Alley." He produced a sheet full of writing and numbers. Sirius accepted it and his eyes widened as he went through the entire thing.

**Shares of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black**

**Broomstix: 20%**

**Eyelops Owl Emporium: 10%**

**Flourish and Blotts: 45%**

**Madam Malkin's: 20%**

**Magical Menagerie: 10%**

**Quality Quidditch Supplies: 15%**

**Slug and Jiggers Apothecary: 50%**

**Ministry Press: 30%**

**Twilfitt and Tatting's: 60%**

**Borgin and Burkes: 55%**

"That's…more than I ever anticipated." The man said, stunned.

"Your father and grandfather worked very hard to keep these shares, Lord Black." Ragnarok looked at him seriously. "I hope you will continue to do the same."

"Of course, of course." Sirius said rather anxiously. He expected a lot of responsibility, but not this. Seems like he would have to keep an eye on Gringotts and keep in contact with Ragnarok more regularly.

"Lastly, I have to inform you about your properties. There are five properties in total that you own, two in England including Number 12 Grimmauld Place in London and Black Manor at Wiltshire. You own a mansion in Monte Carlo in Monaco as well as a Manor at the outskirts of Paris near the Versailles Palace. Finally you have a summer villa on a private island around the Dodecanese." He said.

"Oh." Sirius said rather dumbly. "Wait, we have an entire _island_ invested in Greece?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"Indeed, Lord Black." The goblin looked amused.

"Damn, that's _rich_." He murmured. He would have to check out all the foreign properties soon.

"I do not believe there is anything else to say except that I will keep you updated with further exchanges. Should anything urgent arise, I will inform you immediately.

Just then, the door opened and the same goblin who scurried off earlier entered with documents in his hand.

"Here are the requested reinstatement contracts, Lord Ragnarok." He said.

"Good. Dismissed, Sharptooth." Ragnarok took the documents, scanned through then, and handed them to Sirius. "Everything should be in order. The ceremony can be done immediately if you wish."

"I'll call them."

* * *

><p><strong>Bleh, things are picking up again, but I'll continue to make progress. I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing, because I don't know how to write politics or banking exchanges.<strong>

**IMPORTANT**: A lot of people have complained about how the story is progressing slowly and how I'm putting too many details in. If I feel the need to explain things, it's because I don't want people going 'how the hell are they able to do that? explain'. If you DON'T feel the need to know these details, it actually saves me a lot of time and brainpower, because thinking up these things is draining. I myself don't like to explain every single detail but the reason I'm doing this is because they'll be used in the future, especially the Mind Arts, and I want to make it clear how things will happen.

FYI it's NOT going to be a harem, nor am I going to make up all the history and definitions in JKR's world. If I were the reader, I would want to learn things _with_ the characters, but it seems that a lot of you are impatient for the actually plot. It may come as a surprise to you all but I'm an extremely impatient person who just wants to jump right in to the storyline, and trust me, doing all of these necessary preparations is bloody painful.

But from now on I'll try to avoid dallying and too much detail. I just thought it would be interesting and a challenge of some sort to make up some things about the preexisting universe.


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